Power Rangers Genius Force
by PernDragonrider
Summary: The year is 2005 and three former Rangers go on a pilgrimage to the ruins of the Power Chamber and discover that it's been rebuilt and there's a new mentor in Zordon's place. Please R & R
1. Chapter 1

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** _This storyline is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2005. The time all of us were watching SPD._

**Note: **_Normal thoughts_,_ **Evil thoughts**_, _telepathy_, emphasized words, "speech"

Chapter One 

"Are we ready?" Adam asked as he, Billy, and Justin climbed out of his car.

"It's exceptionally cold out here today." Billy said with a slight chatter of his teeth as he pulled his heaviest jacket tighter around him. "Perhaps we can postpone out trip out to the ruins until a warmer day? It feels like it's below freezing."

"You're still not acclimatized, Billy." Justin replied sympathetically, as he stretched his now tall and muscular frame to relieve the kinks where he'd jammed into the backseat of Adam's small compact car. "Next time we bring Mountain Blaster, so I can walk after that drive, Adam. I'm not built for these sub-compacts that you and Tanya drive anymore. Besides, Billy, you're the one that insisted Adam and I bring you out here as soon as possible."

"I would not doubt that you were imminently uncomfortable, Justin." Billy said his teeth still chattering slightly. "You are most assuredly correct in your hypothesis that I have yet to reacclimatize my body to the gravity and weather conditions of Earth. Aquitar, being totally covered in water, doesn't experience seasonal changes in temperature as Earth does."

"You're back for good, right?" Adam asked as he watched Billy slowly and carefully navigate around the small clearing where he'd parked his car. "You're not planning on running back to Aquitar after being here for only a day or two? The others would kill me for not getting in touch with them so they could see you too."

"I can never return to Aquitar on a permanent basis, Adam." Billy replied with a touch of pain and some sorrow in his voice. "We did not know, at the time, that someone from Earth would be physically incompatible with living long term on Aquitar. Once Cestro, Cestria, myself, and the other scientists discovered exactly why I wasn't healing completely after a minor accident a few months ago. Delphine and Aurico sent out emergency calls to both Trey on Triforia as well as to Andros and the Astro Rangers. Trey answered the call; however Delphine and Aurico both were shocked and worried that neither Andros nor the Megaship answered the distress call. I'm back on Earth to stay, Adam; however this pilgrimage of ours is because I need to see if any of the communications equipment survived Divatox's destruction of the Power Chamber. Aurico and Trey were most insistent that as soon as I could that I came up here accompanied by at least two other former Rangers. You and Justin were free today and here we stand, with me freezing."

"You'll be fine once we start the climb up, Billy." Justin said with a smile while he watched Adam frown slightly in Billy's direction.

"You sure you're up to this climb, Billy?" Adam asked with concern in his soft voice, as he watched Billy shivering. "It's going to take a good two hours to hike into the area where the ruins are from here and then we still have to find the right mountain to climb up."

"We would have had a much easier and comfortable trip had Tanya allowed me to work on the RadBug for a few hours." Billy said his teeth still chattering with cold. "Then there would be no reason to hike and climb. We simply land and get out. However, that is neither here nor there and we must make this pilgrimage. I am fully recovered, Adam, and there is absolutely no reason why I am not capable of making the trek to the Power Chamber's ruins." Billy's glare in Adam's direction silenced the words Adam was going to say in response and Billy simply started walking off into the sparsely wooded area that concealed Adam's car.

_He's going to kill himself trying to find out why Andros didn't answer instead of Trey._ Adam thought even as he sighed and started after Billy. Justin followed close behind Adam and soon the three were making good time through the sparse vegetation that was slowly giving way to more desert like surroundings.

The three men, ex-Power Rangers all, made their way to the base of the mountain range that had once held the proud, striking, and comforting presence of Zordon's base of operations for the Power Rangers on Earth. Adam and Justin had been up here many times since the destruction wrought by Divatox on the Power Chamber and neither of them had ever seen any signs of any equipment remaining behind. They'd both tried to discourage Billy from making this trek; but Billy could be as stubborn as both Jason and Tommy combined. Justin thought, secretly, that Billy just needed to see the extent of the damage for himself. Adam and Justin were both surprised when Billy unerringly proceeded up the runoff cut that would take them directly to the top of the mountain and the remains of the base they'd all come to think of as a second home.

"How did you know that this was the cut to take, Billy?" Justin asked with some surprise but mostly curiosity in his voice.

"Simple, Justin." Billy replied with a smile as he stopped to rest and accepted a bottle of water that Adam handed to him from the backpack Adam wore. "This isn't the first time nor do I feel it is the last time I will have to make this long trek to the Power Chamber's location on foot."

"You knew exactly where you were going?" Justin asked with more surprise covering the still present curiosity.

"I mapped, on foot, all of the regions surrounding both the Command Center and then the Zeo Crystal rebuilt Power Chamber not long after getting my power coin, Justin." Billy said and offered a small smile of apology to both Adam and Justin. "Part of my reasons for doing that was my reasoning that California experienced earthquakes on a regular basis and I wanted to be sure that, if ever necessary, that we could reach the Command Center and Zordon without teleporting. That is also one of the reasons that I built the RadBug, well actually the RadBug was already under construction before I became a Ranger, but having it made getting up here during the time of the Evil Green Ranger much quicker and easier. Also just after Zordon first chose the five of us as his Rangers, we walked away. We made it this far before Rita's Putty Patrollers attacked us and right here is where we first morphed into the Power Rangers. All five of us made small marks on that rock." Billy stopped his narration and pointed to a large boulder that was, mostly, protected from the elements by another on that jutted out over the top of it. "I stopped for a rest and some water as well as to ascertain that our small memorial to our lost innocence was still there and didn't need to be refreshed."

Adam walked over to the rock and then whistled low when he crouched down and saw the five distinct markings that each of Billy's former teammates had made in the face of the rock. There was a Tyrannosaurus, a Mastodon, a Pterodactyl, a Saber-Tooth Tiger, and a Triceratops carved into the face of the rock. Each carving was done with precision and each had it's own special flare that proved that the same person hadn't carved each pictograph. Adam explored the rock a little more and found another spot with the pictographs and smiled when he saw one of the Dragonzord had joined the other five. He looked a little closer and his smile grew sad when he saw two simple geometric pictographs in another spot that seemed to embrace a third pictograph of what looked suspiciously like a very good portrait of Billy. "Tommy, you, and Jason added this last one during our Zeo phase; didn't you?"

"What?" Billy asked and then walked over to where Adam was positioned. Justin watched as tears sprang into Billy's eyes when he saw the carvings. "Oh my." Billy's voice was filled with emotions and tears that he wasn't prepared to have rush through him at that time. Billy walked away without saying another word and instead of turning toward the path that would lead up to where the doors of the Power Chamber had stood; Billy walked toward the way they'd just come.

Justin started to go after him, but was stopped by Adam's soft, "Give him a few minutes, Justin."

"What's wrong, Adam?" Justin asked as he came over and crouched down next to Adam.

"You've heard all of us say, at one time or another, the phrase 'once a Ranger, always a Ranger'?" Adam asked the still curious young man Justin had grown into.

"Yeah." Justin said with a smile. "It means that we're together as friends and fellow Rangers no matter whether we have powers or not, right?"

"It does." Adam said with a sad smile. "I think Billy thought we'd forgotten that fact when he stayed working in the Power Chamber after giving up his chance for a Zeo Sub-Crystal to Tanya. We didn't think to include him in a lot of our activities and he wasn't even in school with us anymore after he graduated early. These three newer carvings of Tommy's star, Jason's I-Ching, and Billy's face show that both of them never forgot and that they considered Billy to still be a part of the team."

"I have made a grave a foolish error in running away and stubbornly remaining away from Earth." Billy said with a sad voice as he rejoined Adam and Justin in time to hear Adam's explanation to Justin. "I should have returned the second I was cured, but I was hiding or running away from what I, very mistakenly is seems, perceived to be my liability to the team and to the depression I felt after failing to be able to rejoin the team as the Gold Ranger."

"You were an integral part of our team, Billy." Adam said with surprising concern and deep affection showing in his normally soft spoken and shy tones. "You should have come back; but now you know that all of us considered you to be our friend and fellow teammate with or without your powers."

"Thank you, Adam." Billy said and surprised both Justin and Adam when he gave Adam a one armed hug. "Jason and Tommy's artistic skills have not diminished it seems. I recognized Jason's drawing that Tommy used to carve my likeness into our Memory Rock here in the pass that leads to what would have been the front doors of the Command Center cum Power Chamber."

"Jason is always doodling drawings of all of us." Adam said with a sigh and then his face took on a downcast appearance. "Well he was until he just recently disappeared without a word to any of us. Tommy said the last contact he had with Jason was right after the all Red Ranger team up to take of the remnants of the Machine Empire that were attempting to resurrect Serpenterra."

"That is not like the Jason I knew. He would never forego the companionship and company of his friends and former teammates." Billy said with a sad sigh. "We should head on up to the ruins. Perchance I can detect some still serviceable or operational mechanisms that will permit us to trace Jason's whereabouts."

"We've been telling you for almost three months that Justin and I have been over that place with a fine-toothed comb, Billy. There isn't anything left that's bigger than one of our helmets." Adam said with some anger in his voice. "Why won't you believe us?"

"Did you check out the underground emergency control room?" Billy asked calmly and the small smile gracing his face and the twinkle in his eyes made both Adam and Justin start in surprise at his words.

"What underground control room?" Adam asked with shock almost covering the rising excitement in his voice.

"The one that we appeared in after going through the Vortex, Adam." Billy said with a smile. "There's another reason that we chose that rock to become our Memory Rock. It conceals another entrance into the interior of the Command Center or Power Chamber, as Justin would know it. Follow me."

Billy lead the way and both Adam and Justin were amazed when he walked thru what appeared to be the solid face of rock that was behind the boulder. "Apparently the generators that powers the holographic screen to this little used entrance are still functional." Billy's voice could be heard echoing slightly. "Come along and don't dawdle you two. There is still quite a bit of walking to accomplish before reaching our goal."

Justin shrugged and smiled at the look of complete and total shock mixed with surprise that covered Adam's normally calm and placid face. "Come on Adam." Justin said with his tone happy and light. "Let's get in there and see what more surprises Billy has in store for us."

Adam allowed Justin to drag him through the concealing hologram and he was shocked to discover that the very obviously man-made tunnel they were standing in was brightly lit. He could see Billy standing near what appeared to be a closed door or panel about fifty or sixty feet down the tunnel from where he stood.

Billy, Adam, nor Justin was prepared for the shock that they would be receiving when they finally reached the old underground emergency control room of the Command Center. It took the three men almost four hours to reach the door that would lead to the room Billy had spoken of earlier. They were tired, dirty, and disheveled; however they were determined to get past the last of the security measures Zordon and Billy had installed and make it into their destination.

"Why did you make those security measure so damned hard to get through?" Adam demanded as they all slumped against a nearby wall to rest. "I thought we were going to get fried getting through the first one. It's taken a heck of a lot longer than I told Tanya we'd be gone. Why didn't we just go into the ruins and access this emergency bunker from there?"

"Because the entrance we used is the only physically accessible entrance to the control room, Adam." Billy sighed as they passed around the last bottle of water they'd brought with them. "I never even dreamed that there would be a time that this place would be needed to be accessed by anyone that didn't have an active power. That is why it has taken us so long to get passed the security measures. Some of them I put in place to augment the ones Zordon already had in place; especially after the altercation where the Evil Green Ranger almost destroyed the Command Center, Alpha, and Zordon permanently. My teammates and I did not want a repetition of that awful time ever occurring again. This door is the last of the security measures that I remember being in place. It should lead directly into the emergency control room."

"I'm just glad that any Ranger power deactivated those security measures." Justin said with a sigh as he removed his helmet and rested with Adam and Billy. "Never thought I'd have to morph to get through some of those traps you set, Billy. Thank goodness I can still access my Turbo Powers through Desert Thunder or we'd have been thwarted after the first stumbling block we encountered over four hours ago."

"I do not believe that we wouldn't have found a way around those security measures." Billy said with a wry tone and a small smile on his face. "After all most of the ones we've had the most problem with are the ones that I installed. I believe I could have found a way around them without having to morph."

"Is everyone rested?" Adam asked as he stood and took the now empty bottle of water from Justin. "Let's get passed this door and see what's waiting inside. Justin, power down. You've been morphed for almost four hours now. Rest your powers."

Justin powered down and then the three men walked toward the last door that kept them from the emergency control room. Their faces shared the same expression of complete and total surprise when the door opened before Billy could touch the pad and enter his code to open the door. All three looked at one another with equal expressions of wonder and concern and then Billy shrugged and stepped into the bright light that was spilling from the room like a beacon in the night. Adam and Justin followed and the three were absolutely stunned into frozen shock combined with a healthy dose of terror to discover that they now stood inside what appeared to be a completely restored and rebuilt Power Chamber.

"Welcome to the Command Center Mark 2." A female voice issued from the speakers that had, at one time, conveyed Zordon's and Demitria's words to the Rangers they mentored. All three men looked toward the green tinged tube that had once held only the head of Zordon of Eltar and when their eyes landed on the visage that could be clearly seen, without the greenish cast Zordon's face had cast, Billy and Adam fainted while Justin was too stunned to even be able to move; much less faint.

"Oh my." The female said with a sad smile. "Alpha! Alpha come quickly, they fainted!"

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi, I'll be right there!" Alpha's familiar high pitched and excited voice was lost on the three men. Justin remained rooted to the spot staring up into the face of a woman he'd never met; however he did remember attending her funeral services and seeing a photograph of her at that service.

Alpha shuffled quickly into the room, from another concealed doorway and he went to work quickly to revive the two unconscious men and the one unresponsive one that was still standing and staring at the woman in the tube. He broke a capsule of smelling salts and waved it under Billy and Adam's noses. Once they started coming around, he then waved the same capsule under Justin's nose.

Billy and Adam again looked into the compassionate and caring expression of a former friend and colleague that had been dead for almost four years now, she'd been killed in a tragic car accident on September 3, 2001. Justin, Adam, and Billy's faces were covered in tears as Billy softly and reverently spoke the woman's name, "Trini."

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Author's note: Please read and review. The nextchapter will backtrackfew years. I hope you liked it.

PernDragonrider. May the Power Protect You!


	2. Chapter 2 Back to the Past

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** _This storyline is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. First of all; thank you so much to all of those that have send a review for this tale.Secondly; I have to apologize to everyone out there. I made a very glaring time line error author's note for Chapter One of this story. It didn't take place in the fall of 2005, but sometime in mid-November of 2004. My sincerest apologies for the erroneous and misleading timeline note. Okay, I said in the note at the end of chapter 1 that I'd be going back in time for the next chapter. Well I have. The events in this chapter take place immediately after the end of Power Rangers Wild Force episode Forever Red. Now that the timeline mess is cleared up; on with the tale. _

**Chapter Two**

**_Since remnants of the Machine Empire survived this long, what about all the other villains that we've fought over the years? We still don't know where Scorpina went off to and for all we know Ivan Ooze is still laying in pieces on Ryan's comet, just waiting to be revived by some new evil that the rangers have to face. Shouldn't we try to ensure that never happens? _**These thoughts passing through the mind of Jason Scott caused an almost instant and complete panic in his brain. _I've got to get Tommy and Andros in on this. We don't need another disaster, like today could have been, happening. Ever!_ Jason looked up from where he'd stopped, with the other six Red Rangers of Earth were walking toward their vehicles and preparing to meet back up at Bulkmeyer's with Tommy. "Andros!" Jason called out. His voice held just enough of the panic he was valiantly trying to suppress that Andros stopped and looked at him.

"Go on, guys." Andros said with a small smile on his face; even then smiling was difficult because a worried frown of concern wanted to take over his face. "I'll see what Jason wants and then we'll all three catch up with you at Bulkmeyer's." Andros turned and walked back to where Jason had stopped, about fifteen feet behind the others. "What's up?"

"We need to get Tommy in on this first." Jason said his old command tones jumping so quickly into his voice and the serious expression on his face was starting to give Andros some doubts about sending the other Red Rangers on ahead of them.

"All right, Jason." Andros said with a serious nod and both started walking toward the hangar that housed the Megaship. Once inside the hangar, Andros lead the way to where Tommy was working on the report that they needed to file with the NASADA officials about the details of their mission.

Tommy looked up with a smile as Andros entered the room; however his smiled dropped quickly into a concerned frown when he saw Jason enter just after Andros did and the look on Jason's face brought Tommy into instant awareness that something was troubling his friend. "What's going on, you two?" Tommy asked with a small frown and a tone of concern in his voice.

"Tom," Jason said with a frown. "Those Machine Empire generals that we fought against today. What if they're not the only evil that's left over? Scorpina is still out there, unaccounted for and what happens if some new nasty finds Ivan's remains on Ryan's Comet and uses them against the Earth? Which of us are tracking these things and making sure that a repeat of this mess with the Machine Empire isn't going to happen again. Today could have turned out so much differently if Andros hadn't been following their activities."

"That…" Tommy stopped what he was going to say and looked at the expression on Andros' face. Tommy's thoughts were instantly sent back to the terrible time the Ninja Rangers had had keeping Ivan from taking over the planet. It then quickly jumped to the many battles against Scorpina and how tough the beautiful looking evil woman really was. "What do you think we should do about it?" Tommy's voice was stern, yet at the same time a note of relief crept in because he'd been thinking almost the same thoughts as Jason just voiced. Those thoughts had been chasing around in his mind the whole time he'd been working on the report for the NASADA officials.

"Send me out with Andros to Ryan's Comet." Jason said with a determined look in his eye that Tommy instantly recognized there was no room for argument. "Cole, Carter, Wes, Eric, and Leo have to get back to their duties. You have to get back to your research work for your Master's degree. TJ and the other Astro Rangers will most likely insist on accompanying us; but that gives us an edge if something goes wrong. We can't just sit back and pretend that Ivan nor Scorpina will ever rear their ugly heads again. Something's got to be done to insure that, at the least, Ooze's remains are completely destroyed and can't be used against the Earth again. None of the other Ninja Rangers are available and since I'm actually the only one of us that's free to go gallivanting off planet for an extended period of time; I can go with Andros and the others."

"It's settled then." Andros said with a small smile starting to appear on his face and his body was slowly relaxing from the tension that had filled him since Jason's slightly panicked voice had called to him out on the field. "We head out to Ryan's Comet and make sure that there's nothing left of his Ivan Ooze. Should we find remains that could possibly be used by some other evil out there; then we destroy those remains completely. Jason's right. None of us are tracking that comet or Scorpina's whereabouts and we should be."

"All right; that's settled." Tommy said and finally allowed a relieved smile to take over his serious expression. "If you two will give me ten minutes to bang out this report for the NASADA officials, we'll go and join the others at Bulkmeyer's for our celebration, Red Ranger Style."

"How soon would we be taking off again, Andros?" Jason asked as he relaxed slightly. "I need to let my roommates know I'm haring off to parts unknown for a while and will be out of touch. I also need to pack some clothes and things too."

"At least a week, Jason." Andros said with a smile as the two men took seats at the back of the room and continued their conversation while Tommy finished the report. "It'll take at least that much time for TJ and I to contact Cassie and Ashley and find out if they'll be going with us. Zhane and Karone are on KO-35 and we'll make a short stop there to pick them up. Perhaps you'd like to make a quick stop by Aquitar and Triforia too?"

"I'd like to hit those on the way back to Earth, Andros." Jason said with a small happy smile starting to slip over the worried frown he'd still been wearing. "I'd love to see Billy and Trey again; however I'd rather have the Ivan Ooze question cleared up before I take time to visit old friends."

"That's the Jason I know; that's my bro." Tommy said as he got from the chair and stretched. "Business before pleasure as always. Okay, I'm done with this damned report. Let's get over to Bulkmeyer's and join the other Reds before Eric and Leo drink the place dry." Tommy's smile showed that he was teasing about his worries over Eric and Leo; however his smile was guarded.

Tommy took Andros with him in his Jeep while Jason followed behind on his motorcycle. The NASADA officials were pleased with the report and had no problems allowing Andros to leave the Megaship Mark II docked in the hanger it currently occupied.

The party at Bulkmeyer's went until Bulk shooed them all out three hours after his normal closing time. The nine Red Rangers tried to find another place to continue their celebration; however at two in the morning all of the local entertainment establishments were closed. The finally decided to go their separate ways after another hour of searching.

Those with a long distance to drive back home had their keys absconded with by Jason and Tommy. The rowdy group eventually found themselves at Jason's house.

"Your parents are going to kill you for coming home at four in the morning with eight guests, all in various stages of drunkenness, bro." Tommy said slightly concerned for their more rowdier and drunker counterparts.

"It won't be a problem, bro." Jason said and Tommy just barely managed to catch the tightening of Jason's jaw and the sharp hitch in Jason's breathing before he'd spoken in a dull, flat voice.

"What is going on, bro?" Tommy asked as he stopped Jason from inserting his key into the lock on the front door.

"Later, not now." Jason managed to choke out past the tears that were quickly clogging his throat and filling his eyes. Jason jammed the key into the door and twisted it so violently that Tommy was afraid the key would snap off in the lock. He reached for Jason's hand but was batted away as Jason practically stormed into the house. Tommy was surprised when a large Irish Setter came bounding and barking toward Jason from, as far as Tommy could tell the family room at the back of the house. "Hey girl, did ya miss me?" Jason asked as the lively large dog almost jumped into Jason's arms. "ZACK! AISHA! KIM! COMPANY'S HERE!" Jason roared and Tommy was shocked when the three came stumbling down the stairs in their pajamas.

"JASON!" Kimberly said sharply. "It's four in the morning what the hell is going on?"

"Morning, Kim." Jason said with a sappy smile on his face as he knelt next to the large reddish brown dog that was practically beating Eric to death with her tail. "Sorry, got some unexpected company and needed a hand to get them all settled." Jason voice was just slightly slurred and his eyes were just glassy enough that Kimberly took one look him and all the other men behind him and her face twisted into a grimace.

Kimberly stalked over and stood in front of Tommy with an angry yet sad expression on her face. "How much did you let him drink now?" She demanded as she poked Tommy in the chest with her right index finger.

"What?" Tommy asked as he watched Zack lead Jason and the dog into, what he thought was the kitchen.

"I asked you how much he had to drink tonight, Tommy Oliver." Kimberly demanded in a louder and now much angrier tone of voice. "Tell me before I toss your drunk ass out the door and you wind up sleeping on the porch or in the yard."

"He had at least eight drinks." Eric said sternly as he dropped his drunken act and helped a very inebriated Wes, Cole, and Carter to remain standing. "I think at least four of those eight drinks were non-alcoholic."

"Good, then he won't curl up into a ball and bawl all day long." Kimberly said with relief as she took a good look over the motley looking collection of Red Rangers standing in the living room.

"Sha, take the ones that look to be able to move under their own steam and put them in the family room." Kimberly said with a smile directed Aisha's way. "The guy holding up three of our esteemed Reds by himself can help Tommy and I with the others. The sleeping bags already out."

"I've got TJ and Andros." Aisha said as she slipped an arm around the waist of both men and smiled. "This way Teej, Andros." She cajoled soothingly as she started maneuvering them toward the back of the house.

"I can take Leo." Zack said as he returned to the room with a grim smile on his face. "Once we get these guys bedded down, you or Sha are going to have to go take Jase in hand again. He's in the kitchen trying to cook."

"Oh, shit!" Kimberly said as she quickly and unceremoniously shoved Tommy toward the kitchen. "Go, make coffee and keep Jason away from the stove! Go!"

Tommy turned and went into the Scott family kitchen. He was shocked when Jason was standing in front of the counter with tears running down his face as he slowly stirred up what looked to a batter of some sort. "Bro?" Tommy questioned quietly.

"Just going to cook some pancakes." Jason said with a hitch in his voice and the tears clearly visible. "Mom wouldn't want me to let my guests go hungry."

"Jase." Tommy said calmly and soothingly as he placed his hand over Jason's and made him stop what he was doing. "Most of your guests won't be ready for any solid food for a few more hours. You need to get some sleep, bro. Then you can cook pancakes for us. All right?"

"They're gone Tom." Jason said as he let Tommy lead him back to the chair in the kitchen. "All the monster attacks in Angle Grove they lived through and the last one took them. Quanatrons, I think is what they were called. Mom and Dad were trying to get to the house and Quanatrons blasted them to bits. First Trini, in that senseless car accident, and now Mom and Dad; it's too much, bro."

"Hell, Jase." Tommy said as Jason's tear-filled words washed over him like a tidal wave of pain and remorse. "Why didn't you call us? You know we'd have been here."

"Kim, Zack, and Sha came." Jason said flatly and his voice was still filled with the pain and sorrow of his parent's deaths. "I didn't have numbers for Rocky, Adam, Tanya, Justin, or you. We tried, but you were gone on a dig someplace and unreachable. Sha called Rocky; however she found out he'd lost his little brother and sister in that last big attack by Astronema too. Adam and Tanya were picking up the pieces of their house while Justin's dad wouldn't let him out of his sight for a few weeks. Billy, Billy's so far away that I had no way to reach him. After Divatox destroyed the Power Chamber, there's just been no way to get a message to him at all."

"Come on, you need to go to bed, bro." Tommy said as he put his arms under Jason's shoulders and Jason went with him without resisting. Tommy led Jason up to the room he just knew Jason still slept in. He got Jason laid down and the bed and sat with him until he'd fallen asleep. Tommy went back downstairs and found Eric, Kim, Aisha, and Zack in the kitchen. Zack was washing up the mess Jason had made attempting to cook pancakes for everyone.

"You didn't call me or even write to let me know?" Tommy accused as he entered the room.

"I did write you a letter, Tommy." Kimberly said as a lone tear ran down her face. "He still misses them you know. Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Justin came by, after the funeral and they stayed for few days until Zack and I could get moved back here. Aisha moved back about a week later. We've been here ever since. I think the worst thing is that he has no way to let Billy know that his father was a causality of the same attack that took his parents. They're both orphans, adult orphans, but orphans nonetheless. Jason still keeps Billy's house and won't rent or sell it. He says Billy will need his home when he comes back. Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Justin come by as often as they can, but it's not enough. Having us here seems to help, some. This team up was a godsend for Jason. It gave him a chance to do something to relieve the burning anger that's eating him up from the inside."

"Oh shit." Tommy said as he realized why Jason had wanted to wait until after going to Ryan's Comet to see Billy. "Jason and Andros will be leaving in about a week to go and check on Ryan's Comet, guys. He plans on getting Andros to stop by Aquitar and Triforia on the way back."

"Ryan's Comet!" Aisha said sharply. "Why's Jason going to Ryan's Comet?"

"Because he said he was the only Red from Earth the could pick up and take off without losing his job." Tommy said quietly. "Eric and Wes have to get back to Silver Hills and the Silver Guardians later on today. Carter is going to be needed back in Mariner Bay. Cole has to get back to Turtle Cove; he's the current team's Red Ranger. Andros is going to drop Leo off on Mirinoi and then pick up the rest of the Astro Rangers and head out to Ryan's Comet to be sure there's nothing left of Ivan Ooze that can come back and haunt us like Serpenterra and the Machine Empire did today."

"I'm going to kick his ass over the moon." Zack said with an angry tone of voice. "This is the fifth time since his parents died that he's taken off on some Ranger business or another in the last two years. He needs to stay home, in Angle Grove, and get a job; not run around trying to save the world single handedly."

"I haven't heard of any Ranger business going on that Jason was involved in." Tommy said with a small frown of concern. "I think I'd have heard of anything that Jason participated in through one of the teams while we talked tonight."

"He goes up to the ruins, Tommy." Aisha said with a small sad smile on her face. "I followed him one day, carefully. He goes up to the Power Chamber's ruins and just sits around the place for days on end. Then he comes back home and throws himself into weight lifting and martial arts training. This cycle has gone on for about four years now. Maybe going away with Andros and assuring himself that Ooze is destroyed will stop it once and for all. He's not the same person we all knew. His parent's death has changed him a lot, Tommy."

"Now I wish I could go with him." Tommy said with a worried frown deepening the laugh lines on his face and creasing his brow. "He's going to have to handle his own emotional turmoil and Billy's too; once he gets to Aquitar."

"We'll be there with him, Tommy." Andros surprised them all, as he spoke from the doorway with a soft and understanding tone of voice. "He's a fellow Power Ranger and a friend. We'll be sure to be there with him when he tells Billy of his loss."

"Andros." Tommy said with a relieved tone and inclined his head to show he understood.

"I should go and shake Wes awake." Eric said rising with a rarely seen smile showing on his face. "I think I'll listen to some Metallica or Van Halen for the trip back to Silver Hills. That should keep my partner awake enough to navigate."

"Let him sleep until he wakes up." Kimberly said sternly standing up and facing down Eric even though she only came to the middle of his chest. "You are not going to inflict Metallica or Van Halen on a man that's recovering from a night of trying to out drink all the rest of the Red Rangers."

"Yes ma'am." Eric said and quickly sat back down into his chair with a smirk on his face. "I wouldn't dream of giving Wes a worse headache for the trip back home." Eric's sarcasm wasn't lost on any of them and he was rewarded with a devilish smile from Kimberly as well as a small chuckle from the woman he found to be a fascinating combination of himself and Taylor. "I should kidnap you and take you back to Silver Hills to meet Taylor. I think the two of you would get along just fine."

"Your wife?" Aisha asked with a smile as she sipped her coffee while still wearing her bright yellow pajamas that she'd had on when Jason had yelled for them about two hours earlier.

"My girlfriend." Eric answered with a small smile. "Just don't ever tell Wes I said that."

"My lips are sealed." Kimberly said with a smile as she got up and pour coffee for everyone at the table. She held the pot up for Andros to see and smiled when he shook his head no. "Hot chocolate or something else, Andros?"

"Just some milk please, Kim." Andros replied with a smile of his own.

Kimberly got Andros his glass of milk and sat back down at the table with the others. Tommy was surprised when the large Irish Setter came into the kitchen and put her head on his lap. She whined slightly until Tommy started petting her. "What's her name?" Tommy asked as he continued to stroke the dog's gleaming fur.

"That's Alpha." Zack replied. "Jason named her before we knew she was a she. The name's stuck."

"What's Alpha doing down here and not in Jason's room?" Aisha asked with a small frown. "She always sleeps with Jason."

"I think that might me be my fault, Aisha." Tommy said with a small smile as the dog's ears pricked up at the mention of Jason's name. "I closed his bedroom door so I don't think Alpha here could get into sleep with him."

"I'll take her upstairs." Zack said rising and rinsing his coffee cup out in the sink. "Have to go and get ready for work anyway. Come on, Alpha. I'll let you into your person's room." Zack left the room with a very evidently happy dog on his heels.

"She doesn't bark?" Tommy asked as he watched Zack playing with the large dog as they left the room.

"Alpha was a rescue from the pound." Aisha said as her and Kimberly exchanged glances over their coffee cups. "She was one of the thousands of animals left behind after the destruction Astronema caused. Jason fell in love with her while he was volunteering with the animal shelter. She's been here ever since and she's never barked at anyone. She'll bark when she's outside and playing with one of us, but she doesn't bark in the house unless she doesn't like someone."

"I'm surprised that she accepted all of us strange men coming into her house without a growl or bark." Eric said as Andros nodded his agreement. "Most dogs, no matter how well behaved, will bark and growl when a stranger comes into their home."

"Alpha's not like most other dogs." Aisha said with a smile. "It's like she can sense what's left over of our Ranger Powers in us and since all of you just recently morphed, she accepted that. I think one of the Astro Rangers was responsible for her being at the shelter where Jason found her."

"That would be Carlos." Andros said with a small smile. "He wanted to adopt that pup so badly, but his parent's are allergic to dogs so he had to give her up. He'll be glad to know that she's found a good home."

"That explains why she took to Jason so quickly then." Aisha said with a smile. "I kind of bullied Jason into coming and helping at the animal shelter; just to get him out of the house and try and break through the morass of grief he was in. Alpha didn't like anyone that came into feed or care for her; but Jason went into the cage where she was and she just jumped up and licked his face like she was happy to see him. She wouldn't even do that with me and I'm used to dealing with frightened and hurt wild animals."

"Perhaps," Andros said with a smile. "I think Alpha wanted a male owner and not a female; however her reaction to Jason seems to have been just what he needed at the time."

"It was what he needed." Kimberly said with a small sad smile. "He had someone to protect again. That's all he's ever needed was to protect those he loved and cared for. Which is why he won't sell or rent out Billy's house. Kat and Rocky are living there and keeping the place up. They insisted on doing that for Billy and for Jason too. Adam and Tanya are due to move back from New York by the beginning the school year. So all of us are going to be here to help out Jason and eventually Billy when he comes home from Aquitar for good."

"He may never come home, Kim." Tommy said sadly. "I'm not sure when I'm ever going to be able to get back to Angel Grove, if I ever do. We can't all stay here and baby Jason because he lost his parents. We're adults. We have to get on with out lives."

"Then stay away and quit calling Jason back for these intermittent missions!" Kimberly turned on Tommy and unleashed the full force of her anger; stunning Andros and Aisha with her vehemence. "He was almost back to normal; then out of the blue you call and tell him he's needed again. He's never been anything other than our friend, big brother, sounding board, and finally leader and first class worry wart for the rest of us. You know how badly he beat himself up over the mess with Rita's Green Candle and how happy he was when you came back. Murithanis followed up by losing his parents to an evil he was powerless against almost cost all of his life! You need to grow up and quit being selfish, Tommy Oliver. We take care of each other and we help each other out. We all agreed that LIFE wouldn't get in the way of that, ever."

"Enough!" Jason's soft yet stern baritone issued from the kitchen doorway and startled everyone in the room. Kimberly quickly sat down and blushed a deep red while Aisha grinned slightly and hid it behind her coffee cup. Andros looked around the room and his eyes made contact with the humorous twinkle hidden behind Eric's stunned and surprised look. "You promised me that if I brought Tommy home after this mission that you wouldn't try and lay a guilt trip on him, Kimmy. Now apologize and get me some coffee, please."

"I'm sorry Tommy." Kimberly said and Tommy could tell from her tone that she wasn't sorry for what she'd said but for getting caught by Jason saying it.

"No problem, beautiful." Tommy said and was shocked when Jason laughed, truly laughed, for the first time since they'd met earlier the day before.

"Maybe I should let you keep at him, Kim." Jason said between his gasps of laughter. "That response sounded like one from before I left for Switzerland and everything went to hell around here."

"Jase," Tommy started and was cut off by Jason laying his hand on Tommy's arm.

"I know, bro." Jason said surprising Tommy with the depth of understand that was in that simple phrase. "We're not kids anymore, but sometimes old habits are hard to break. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted nothing more than to shove Cole into the background and keep him safe today? Do you? He's the only Ranger that was there today that has a team he's responsible for. The rest of us relics were expendable; but Cole, he had to survive, bro. He had to."

Eric and Andros blinked a couple of times and then smiled grimly when Jason's words had worked into their shock-numbed brains. "You're right Jason." Eric said and smiled as he looked up and saw Wes and the other Red Rangers arranged in the doorway. By the looks on their shocked faces they'd all heard Jason's words. "Everyone one of us knew the score; but I don't think or believe that any of us took the time and looked at this they way you just did. We're all Reds and yet out of all ten of us, you were the only one to think of who would have to survive over everyone else. I'm not saying that some or all of us didn't have that same sentiment in back of our minds, but you came into this for one reason and one reason only. You came to make sure that an active team didn't lose their leader, their friend. I salute you for that courage and conviction, Jason." Eric stood and snapped off a salute and Jason jumped when all the other Red Ranger's behind him erupted in a chorus of "Hell yeah" or "You tell him, Eric" and other affirmations of Eric's words and tribute to Jason.

"Is that why you teamed up with Cole?" Tommy asked and watched a blush spread over Jason's face.

"I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, Jason." Cole said stepping into the room and standing behind Jason's chair. Cole placed both of his hands on Jason's shoulders and gave a quick, reassuring squeeze before he continued speaking. "However, it was my pleasure and an honor to team with someone like you. You are our role model, Jason. You were the first; the bar we all measure, unconsciously or unknowingly, our abilities and actions against all the time. Tommy, I'm sure, did the same thing when he first found himself in red. I am proud, very proud, to say that I had the chance to fight by your side and to see the first Red Ranger of Earth in action against the forces of evil. Knowing how much you wanted to insure I survived our battle doesn't make me angry with you; it only helps me to understand the complex and giving person that resides under the armor of a Red Ranger better than ever. Thank you, my friend."

"He's right, bro." Tommy said gently as he placed his hand on Jason's bare forearm and gave a gentle squeeze. "You're the one we all look up to when we talk of Red Rangers. You were the first and from the stories I've heard from the others, the only reason you walked out on Zordon was because Zack pulled you away. You've always needed to protect the ones he loved and cared for. It's the way you're made and nothing is ever going to change that. I grieve to know that your and Billy's parents were killed in the big attacks by Astronema; but you couldn't have done anything if you were here except to have joined them in death. The Zordon Wave hadn't happened and you would have died morphing to protect them. Once the wave re-energized your coin you were safe to morph again; but before that…" Tommy's voice trailed off as tears appeared in his eyes.

Kimberly got up from her chair and gently wiped the tears from his eyes as she continued for him. "Before the wave passed and re-energized all our coins; your body couldn't have survived morphing for even a short time, Jase. Justin found a way into the computer core, under the Power Chamber, and he's the one that informed Adam of just how badly rejecting the Gold Ranger's Powers hurt your body. Between the rejection and what happened on Murithanis Zordon surmised that accepting another power or morphing at all would kill you almost instantly. That's why you were never asked to replace Justin; not because you weren't wanted, but because it was our turn to protect you from yourself."

"This is getting way too maudlin for me." Carter said with a small smile to show he understood and was just trying to relieve the tension in the room. "I smell coffee and I'm going to need a lot to wake up enough to get Cole back to Turtle Cove and myself back to Mariner Bay in one piece. Any chance I could get a cup?"

Aisha smiled and proceeded to provide them all with coffee and anything else they needed. Alpha padded quietly into the room and went straight to Jason. She laid her head in his lap and huffed at him until he started petting her. "Thanks, Alpha, I needed that girl." Jason said as he stroked her head and found his balance enough to finally look up and smile a genuine smile. "I can't do much in the kitchen; but I make a mean pancake for whoever's interested in breakfast."

"Not today, Jase." Kimberly said smiling as Aisha grimaced behind Jason's back. "Sha and I have everything under control and we'll get food ready for everyone today. You can cook pancakes for Zack, Sha, and me tomorrow. Now go on and get yourselves into the family room. We'll call when food's ready. Go, Shoo!"

Jason stood up laughing and smiling as he and Alpha led the way back to the family room. Tommy stayed behind to help but was shoved out of the kitchen by a very determined Aisha. "Get out, Tommy." Aisha said with a smile to soften her barking tone of voice. "We've got this covered."

Tommy left and joined the other men in the family room and no one noticed when Carter snuck back into the kitchen and surprised Kimberly and Aisha. "I'm a fireman and I know my way around cooking for a large group of men. Can I lend a hand to you ladies?" Carter asked as he stood just inside the doorway.

"A man that can cook?" Kimberly asked and then looked up and smiled brightly at Carter's smiling face and laughter filled eyes. "Sure, grab a pan and start flipping pancakes. I'd have Jason do it, he does make the best pancakes I've ever had; but he needs to spend time with Tommy and the rest of you. He's not been very like himself over the last few years and he's just now almost back to normal."

"Losing a parent at any age is tough." Carter said with a small grief filled smile gracing his rugged face. "I lost my dad in a fire when I was young; so I have an idea of how hard it's been on Jason. Even losing a parent as an adult is devastating."

"Jason was really close with his parents, after the mess on Murithanis." Kimberly said sadly. "I distanced myself from everyone and Jason was the one that came and brought me back to Angel Grove. His mom and dad gave me exactly what I was too stubborn to know I needed; unconditional acceptance. It helped and it really hurt when the were killed."

Carter let Kimberly talk through her grief over the loss of Jason's parents while he continued to help out with the large meal she and Aisha were preparing for them. He smiled when Aisha chased him out of the kitchen and back to the others in the family room once most of the cooking was completed. "Go on Carter, sneak back into the family room with the other guys. Jason will shoot us if he finds out we let you help and not him."

Carter left and was sure he'd managed to sneak back into the room with the other guys without his absence being noticed until Jason asked, "Did they have you flipping pancakes or scrambling eggs, Carter?"

"Huh?" Carter said in stunned shock. "How?"

"Those two can't cook a pancake worth a damn." Jason replied with a laugh. "I just recently managed to teach Sha how to scramble an egg without it coming out so well done it was powder and inedible. Zack and I usually share the cooking chores; but Kim and Sha complain about the mess we leave. No, truthfully, they're both great cooks; but I'm glad they let one of us in there to help them out."

"You're a fraud, Jason Lee Scott." Kimberly teased from the doorway that led into the large family room. "Sha is the one that had to teach you to scramble an egg where it was edible. Left to your own devices you'd starve."

"Ah, so that's why you decided to move in here, Kimmy. To make sure I didn't starve to death?" Jason teased right back and Tommy smiled to see that nothing much had changed over the years.

The men followed Kimberly back into the large country kitchen and ate. Tommy, Jason, Kimberly, Aisha, and Alpha stood by the front door as they all left, except for Andros.

"TJ will get Cassie and Ashley." Andros said as the others finally left to return to where they were needed and the three men and a dog settled down in the kitchen to discuss plans. "We need to sit down and talk this through. Also I've already had Alpha 7 working on tracking down possible places Scorpina could be. Onyx would be the most likely place to find rumors; however neither I nor any of my team can set foot on the planet and live. We're not very welcome on a world of evil."

"I'll go down." Jason said so suddenly that Tommy and Andros both gasped in surprise. "What? I can go down and leave my morpher with Andros. They can keep an open communications channel with my communicator and if I need help they can come to the rescue."

"Jase, you've never even been off planet; except for this last mission." Tommy said sternly. "What makes you think you can handle being on this Onyx at all?"

"First Andros can be there, so I should be able to handle being there too." Jason replied calmly. "Secondly, I have never been off world so no one there would recognize me at all."

"We'll only go to Onyx as a last resort." Andros said quickly attempting to forestall the argument between Tommy and Jason he saw quickly brewing. "I have other contacts that I can use before having to resort risking someone's life on that planet."

"I think you should go and check on Ooze's remains first and come back to Earth." Tommy said his leader voice starting to appear in his tone and a frown of concern creasing his features. "After a stop on Aquitar to see Billy and a quick stop to see Trey on Triforia. We can work on the Scorpina thing after we know Ivan won't be coming back to haunt us."

"We'll do Ryan's Comet first." Andros said and his tone booked no arguments from either man. "Finding Scorpina's whereabouts can be done while in transit to and from the comet. Once we've determined that the collision with the comet eliminated any threat, or we eliminate that threat; then we can swing by Aquitar and Triforia while still searching for any news of Scorpina and her activities."

"You're the boss." Jason said with a small smile directed at Tommy. "It's your ship and your crew. I'm just going to be along for the ride."

"You'll be doing your share of things too, Jason." Andros said with a smile starting to form on his face as the tension level dropped back down to a livable level. "You're going to have to learn how to handle a Galaxy Glider, how to help pilot the Megaship Mark II, and learn to do emergency repairs too."

"Sound like I need to kidnap Billy from Aquitar before we start this trip." Jason joked with a laughter filled voice and a large smile on his face.

"Actually I think I've left you in capable hands." Tommy said as he returned the teasing. "Andros will keep you busy enough that you won't have time to think about anything but getting back home to rest."

"I'm sure Andros won't keep me so busy I don't at least take the time for a five minute phone call." Jason said his voice dropping the laughter and holding a slightly hurt tone now.

"I know, I know." Tommy said with regret and a sad expression taking over his face. "I could have made the time to call; but everything has just been so hectic with school, research work, and digs for the research that I haven't had the chance. I'm on break for the week and I'm planning to get in touch with everyone while I'm here. Well, everyone but Billy. I'm going to mend the fences, Jase. I promise."

"You'd better." Jason said with a gruff tone and then smiled quickly. "Stay here, Tommy. Kim, Aisha, and Zack won't mind and it will give Alpha someone else to spoil her rotten."

"Mom and Dad…" Tommy started to say then stopped as he saw the grief jump into Jason's expressive eyes. "Mom and Dad will understand and I'll take you up on that offer, bro."

"Thanks." Was all Jason managed to say before excusing himself and retreating from the kitchen to his bedroom.

"He'll be back in a little while." Tommy told the shocked Andros. "I should have remembered not to bring up my parents."

"Jason will survive." Kim said coming into the kitchen now dressed in a pair of pale pink shorts, a white tank top, and a pale pink short sleeved shirt tied at her trim waist; that matched the shorts exactly. "He just took Alpha out back and is tossing the Frisbee for her. You know you guys should take her to the park. Much more room to run and you could take Jason with you too."

"Tommy is going to stay while I'm gone with Andros." Jason said as he unexpectedly came in from outside. "Just ran into to get a glass of water, guys. Alpha's not ready to end her play session yet." Jason got a bottle of water out of the fridge and left as quickly as he'd come in.

"Matchmaker." Kimberly said with a smile as Jason left the kitchen with a laugh. "You do realize he wants you and I back together again?" Kimberly turned and smiled at Tommy's now shocked look. "Why else do you think he'd insist on you staying here while he's gone?"

"He's what?" Tommy asked as he started to get up out of his chair; his anger and shock both written plainly on his face. "Why?"

"Because he's impossible and he's playing big brother again." Kimberly said with a smile as she shoved Tommy back into his chair. "He wants his world to be as close to what it was before his losses as he can, Tommy. That means ignoring me when I say we're just friends and doing everything he can to toss us together again. He'll come around; eventually."

"Jason, matchmaking." Tommy sighed as he relaxed into his chair. "What next? Trini's ghost taking Zordon's place and mentoring a team of Rangers?"

The three at the table laughed happily even though they couldn't know just how prophetic Tommy's random comment was going to turn out to be in just over three years time.

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A/N: _All right everyone. That's the second chapter of this tale. I hope you enjoyed reading it enough to send me a review and let me know what you think. Next chapter is going back to the future and what's going on in the restored Power Chamber._

My wishes for a very happy, healthy, and safe Independence Day to everyone in the US.

_Pern._


	3. Chapter 3 Return to the Present

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** _This storyline is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2004. The main storyline will take place in 2005 during the time all of us were watching SPD. Thank you to everyone that sent in a review for the first two chapters of this tale. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Okay this chapter jumps back to Adam, Billy, and Justin in the newly remade Power Chamber. Enjoy folks._

**Note: **_Normal thoughts_,_ **Evil thoughts**_, _telepathy_, emphasized words, "speech"

Chapter Three – The First Attacks 

Billy and Adam again looked into the compassionate and caring expression of a former friend and colleague that had been dead for almost four years now, she'd been killed in a tragic car accident on September 3, 2001. Justin, Adam, and Billy's faces were covered in tears as Billy softly and reverently spoke the woman's name, "Trini."

"Yes, Billy." Trini's soft voice issued from the hidden speakers in the base of Zordon's tube. "It is me, after a fashion. I've been given a chance to return and help save our world from another evil. This evil is worse than anything Rita, Zedd, or any of the other evils the Rangers have faced over the years. This time the evil is coming from within our own ranks. I don't have the identity of the one we're going to face. I've only been told that this is an old evil and has been growing steadily over the years it's been festering in one of Earth's protectors."

"It's not Tommy is it?" Billy asked with a worried frown and a concerned tone in his voice. "Rita's evil surely hasn't been hanging around through all these years?"

"I don't have that information, Billy." Trini said sadly. "If I did have that information I would have told you. I'm not Zordon or Demitria. I won't speak in riddles or half truths to any of you."

"You're not alive still are you?" Justin asked with a little tinge of regret but mostly curiosity showing in his voice.

"I'm what some would refer to as a ghost, Justin." Trini said with a small smile of regret. "My physical body is dead; but my spirit passed into the Morphin Grid due to my time as the Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. That is how I've come to be here and been chosen to mentor a new team of Rangers to protect the Earth again."

"What does that have to do with us?" Adam asked with a little trepidation showing in his own quiet voice as he spoke for the first time.

"You're here because you are needed again, Adam." Trini said with a small sad smile appearing on her face. "I realize that you, Billy, and Justin as well as the other two members you must seek out, have all served your time as Rangers and are looking forward to living uncomplicated lives; however circumstances demand that this team be made up of former power holders. We must stop one of our own from destroying our world, us, and themselves in the process."

"New Powers?" Billy asked as he looked from the familiar yet different console he'd been looking at. "A Ranger again?"

"Yes to both, Billy." Trini said with a smile as she caught the delight hidden under the surprise in his voice.

"I can tell Tanya what I'm doing, can't I?" Adam asked looking around the room and feeling the desire to again don the armor flowing through him.

"You may tell Tanya after she is cleared of being the one behind the coming attacks, Adam." Trini smiled slightly as she relayed this information to three of her Rangers. "No one can know until after they have been scanned and cleared. Before you can even begin working on this scanner; however, you must complete your team. You need to contact Cameron Watanabe from Blue Bay Harbor and Ethan James from Reefside. Bring them back here to the… the… Command… " Trini broke off and looked at the three standing at her with smiles of their faces for her uncertainty.

"Go ahead and name the base what you will, Trini." Billy said with a smile for his long time friend's spirit. "Command Center, Power Chamber, or whatever else you choose to call our base of operations will be fine."

"Command Center was always such a mouthful." Trini said with a smile. "I liked Power Chamber much better; so Power Chamber it is."

"Tommy is in Reefside." Justin said with a small frown. "How do we contact someone about becoming a Ranger without letting him find out what we're up to?"

"Very easily, Justin." Billy said with a small devilish smile appearing on his face. "Our Power Chamber is fully operational again. We simply observe the two needed to complete our team and then teleport them here when they are alone and won't be missed."

Billy suited his actions to words and set the powerful computers of the newly restored Power Chamber to scanning Blue Bay Harbor and Reefside for the two men Trini had named moments earlier. The three of them waited and once both Cam and Ethan were alone they were teleported into the Power Chamber without hesitation.

"What the…?" Cam asked as he appeared in the Power Chamber. "Ethan? What are you doing here and where are we?"

"It looks a little like an advanced version of Dr. O's basement." Ethan said looking around in wonder.

"Welcome to the Power Chamber Cameron Watanabe and Ethan James." Trini said calmly and with a touch of a smile showing in her voice.

Ethan and Cam both whirled in shock and surprise as they were spoken to. Cam's sock feet slipped and he would have fallen on the floor if Ethan hadn't steadied him when they both spun to face three other smiling men standing before a woman in a tube surrounded by a faint yellow glow. Both blushed deeply and attempted to cover their barely clad bodies with their arms. "Warn a guy so he can put on some clothes, would ya lady?" Cam asked as he turned away from Trini's gaze as Billy, Adam, and Justin tried to hold in their laughter.

"My apologies for taking you from your beds." Billy said with a laughing tone of voice. "But it was the first opportunity that I could teleport you away from your homes where you wouldn't be unduly missed or seen being teleported."

"Where the hell are we?" Ethan asked looking around. He shivered slightly as the cooler air in the restored Power Chamber flowed over his bare arms and legs. He'd only tossed on an old blue tank top and his boxers when he'd climbed into bed for the night.

"As Trini said, you're in the Power Chamber." Adam said as he offered a dark grey blanket to both Ethan and Cam. "We've been waiting hours for you guys to be someplace alone. I'm Adam Park, the youngster standing there while trying not to laugh is Justin Stewart, and the one in blue by the teleportation controls is Billy Cranston."

"Power Chamber?" Ethan said as he looked around in awe. "Man Dr. O wasn't kidding when he said this place was amazing. But…Divatox destroyed this place. How can we be here now?"

"I am Trini Kwan." Trini said with a slight smile on her face yet her tone was a cross between laughter and ordering. "The Power Chamber has been rebuilt and upgraded to combat a new evil that will soon be launching attacks against the Earth and specifically Angel Grove. You, Cameron, and you, Ethan, complete the team that has been chosen to combat this newest evil. This time it is not an evil that will be easily thwarted by a team of inexperienced Rangers. That is why the five of you have been chosen for this task. We must prevail and save the one that's been corrupted to the side of evil; failure and its horrible results for our world is not something we can even contemplate."

"Wait just a damned second here." Cam said with a slightly angry tone as he looked around the room. "You're saying that a Ranger is going to attack and attempt to take over Earth?"

"Trini's information is very sketchy, Cameron." Billy said sadly yet with a tinge of rising excitement in his voice. "It was and now again is our duty to protect Earth from any evil; including one of our own that's been co-opted for evil's use. With or without powers; we are honor bound, as former Rangers, to do what we can."

"Okay. I can understand that." Cam said with a small smile at Billy's serious yet sad face. "First off, call me Cam, not Cameron. Secondly. I need to get back to the Academy and grab some clothes, let my dad know that I'm going to be gone for a while, and get some files and things from my computer in Ninja Ops."

"Ninja Ops?" Justin questioned and then looked at Trini with a sly smile forming on his face. "We're all former Rangers for this?"

"Everyone here has been a Power Ranger, Justin." Trini said with smile and watched as it dawned on Ethan where he'd seen the other three men in the room.

"You three are friends of Dr. O's." Ethan exclaimed with a large smile on his face. "You were all Rangers with him at one time or another. This is so cool!"

"Billy Cranston, first Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger." Trini said as she indicated Billy with a sweep of her hand. "Also first blue Ninjetti/Ninja Wolf Ranger. Adam Park, second Black Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, first black Ninjetti/Ninja Frog Ranger, first Green Zeo and Green Turbo Ranger. Justin Stewart, Blue Turbo Power Ranger."

"Cam Watanabe." Cam said with a smile for the three men before him. "Green Samurai Ninja Storm Ranger. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ethan James." Ethan said with a huge bright smile and a goodly amount of awe on his face. "Blue DinoThunder Ranger."

"Now that introductions have been taken care of," Billy said with a smile. "Adam you need to get back home before Tanya starts worrying about you and Justin. I will remain behind and begin work on the scanner that Trini mentioned. The sooner we clear our friends; the sooner we can call in extra helping hands when needed. I suggest that the first ones we scan be Cam and Ethan's team. Especially so that we can rule out Tommy."

"Teleport us back to the car, Billy." Adam said with a yawn. "I'll think of something to tell Tanya until we can scan her."

"Wait!" Trini called before Billy could operate the controls on the console he was standing at. "Alpha, please bring them their morphers. This team has been assembled; not for your capabilities in battle, which are not in question; but for your mental prowess. You are now the Power Rangers Genius Force!"

The little robot shuffled into the room with a large chest like box. He set it gently on one of the consoles and opened it. Inside were five Power Morphers. Blue, Green, Black, White, and Red morpher nestled inside on a field of shining gold cloth.

"Before infusing each of you with your new Ranger powers; I have to say that I am going against tradition and the leader will not be the Red Ranger." Trini said with some trepidation in her voice.

"We're not going to quibble and squabble over who's the leader, Trini." Billy said with a smile. "You're our mentor and the decisions on team leader and who wears what color are not ours to make; but yours."

"I have a reason for not making the leader red, Billy." Trini said with a smile. "As for fighting over colors; I don't think any of you will have a problem with my choice; except maybe for Ethan and Justin for they will be changing from their previous colors. Take up your morphers and allow the power to infuse you as I call out your names and your colors. Billy the Blue Genius Force morpher and leadership of the team are yours. Adam, the Black Morpher and powers are yours. Justin, the Red is for you. Ethan, the White is yours and Cam the Green is for you. As Zordon once told us, long ago, May the Power Protect you."

"How do we morph, Trini?" Justin asked as he turned the device over and over in his hands nervously. "I mean the Turbo morphers had keys. The Zeonizers were two pieces. What do we do?"

"These seem to be based off of our first Morphers, Justin." Billy said with a smile on his face. "I would assume the morphing stance and cry would be similar when we call for our Ranger powers."

"The morphers are similar to the first ones Zordon gave us, Billy." Trini said with a small sad smile on her face. "However this one is to be worn in place of a watch as I designed them to replace your communicators as well. Just simply touch the button that corresponds to your color and call out "Genius Force, your color, and power on. You will morph and be in your armor."

"Morphinominal." Billy said with a smile and then he looked around as Adam and the others smiled back at him with huge grins.

Billy teleported Ethan and Cam back to their respective bedrooms even as he teleported Adam and Justin to where Adam's green Geo Metro was parked. Billy then turned and looked up at Trini.

"Okay, Trini." Billy said with a slightly confused look on his face but a stern tone in his voice. "Give with all the details that you didn't give out. What's going on?"

"Billy, I have nothing more that I can say about the danger to Earth than I've already said." Trini told him seriously.

"BULLSHIT!" Billy barked angrily as he stalked up to the base of the tube Trini's spirit occupied. "Red has always, ALWAYS, led the team. Why now do I find myself responsible for four more lives as leader and not wearing the traditional color of the position?"

"Billy," Trini said calmly yet with a look of shock on her face that he'd question her like this. "What happened to the easy going friend that never cussed or raised his voice in anger?"

"Trini," Billy said his anger and shock cooling quickly with her question. "He's still in here, but damn it all to hell why me and why for this? How can you be sure that I am not the one you're having us scan for?"

"Simply because you are not the one, Billy." Trini said with a small smile on her face. "Were you the one corrupted by evil then you wouldn't be standing here cussing at me; but destroying this place. That is how I know."

"The other four?" Billy asked as he looked up at her smiling face and felt himself starting to smile with her.

"Clean, Billy." Trini told him truthfully. "You couldn't have gotten past the security measures you and Zordon installed in that emergency access tunnel if any of you were the ones harboring this evil. Cam and Ethan are clean as well or the alarms would have gone off the second they teleported into the Power Chamber's interior."

"So this scanner we are to construct isn't need then?" Billy asked with a touch of disbelief coloring his voice. "All we have to do is teleport in the others and let them be instantly scanned?"

"That would take longer than I fear we have, Billy." Trini answered truthfully. "There is a huge disturbance building in the Morphin Grid. I can feel it growing stronger by the day. A mass teleportation of that many former Rangers is just impossible to accomplish at one time. We'd never know which of them set off the alarms until too late. Even bringing them into the Power Chamber in small groups would take too long."

"How about we just use it for Tanya, for now?" Billy asked as he stepped to the communications console and punched the code for Adam's morpher.

"Very well." Trini sighed seeing that Billy wouldn't back down on that point. "Is there anyone that you and Justin are seeing that we should clear at the same time?"

"Justin is not currently dating anyone; however I have been dating Aisha for about a year now. With your permission I'd like to teleport her here as well." Billy replied distractedly.

"Go ahead and teleport Aisha with Tanya, Billy." Trini sighed in resignation and then smiled at Billy's already falling into the role of leader.

The whine of the teleporters signaled the arrival of Adam, Justin, Tanya, and Aisha in the Power Chamber. Tanya and Aisha's gasps of surprise at seeing the place rebuilt and functional were nothing compared to their screams of surprise when they finally looked at Trini installed in place of Zordon.

Alpha came running into the main room from a small side lab when the screams of Aisha and Tanya echoed off the walls of the Power Chamber while Adam, Justin, and Billy quickly jumped to catch them as they fainted. "Should have warned them a little." Billy said sheepishly as he eased Aisha down onto the floor and accepted the phial of smelling salts Alpha quickly produced for him and Adam.

Both Aisha and Tanya came to coughing because of the smelling salts and looked at each other and then at the three men. "What the hell is going on Adam Park?" Tanya demanded as her husband slowly helped her to her feet.

"Seems that a new baddy is coming back to attach Earth, Tanya." Adam said with a small frown of worry on his face. He looked up at Trini and his voice was shock filled as he said, "I thought we couldn't tell anyone that hadn't been scanned yet? Don't tell me Billy has already built something?"

"No I haven't, Adam." Billy replied to Adam's question before Trini could. "Trini said that she knew that you, Justin, and I were in the clear because we made it through all the old security measures. Ethan and Cam were cleared when they were teleported into the Power Chamber. I just took it upon myself to teleport Aisha and Tanya here to clear them quickly. Now you do not have to lie to your wife about what you are again doing and I don't have to try and lie to Aisha either."

"Justin's the red ranger?" Aisha questioned as she finally registered the colors of their combination communicators and morphers. "How come he's leader over Adam and Billy, Trini?" She demanded with a large amount of rancor in her voice as she glared at the women now Zordon's traditional place.

"Justin is the Red Ranger of the team, Aisha." Trini said with a small smile for her friend. "However, due to the circumstances of the evil that will be attacking Earth in the very near future; Red is not the leader of the team, Blue is."

"Oh, okay." Aisha said and then looked at Billy's left wrist and paled when she saw the blue band that was wrapped around it. "Oh my." She said quietly as she simply stepped up and hugged Billy tightly. "You take care of yourself, Bill."

"I will, Sha." Billy said as he kissed her cheek and returned the tight hug.

"So who else is part of this team?" Tanya asked and the was shocked again when Cam teleported in almost hidden behind piles of computer disks, stacks of file folders, and a large duffle bag that he held in his arms. "Sorry wanted to get back as soon as I could." Cam said and then sighed tiredly when the stack of CD cases fell over with a loud clatter.

"Tanya, Aisha," Billy said with a smile as Justin and Alpha started gathering the now scatter CD's and stacking them into more manageable piles. "This is our Green ranger, Cam Watanabe. Cam this is Adam's wife Tanya, first Yellow Zeo and Yellow Turbo Ranger. This is Aisha Campbell, second Yellow Mighty Morphin and first Ninjetti/Ninja Yellow Ranger."

"Two yellows?" Cam asked with confusion as he looked for morphers on the girl's wrists and then looked even more confused when there was only large bulky gold watch looking devices with Yellow stripes on them.

"Unfortunately there were two morphers for Genius Force stolen from Trey of Triforia; where they were constructed and held until needed." Trini said with a sigh. "I believe that the forces of evil were responsible for the theft; however until they are found we must assume the worst for now."

"Great two evil rangers possibly showing up like Tommy first did." Billy said with an exasperated sigh. "Not something I wish to consider at this time, Trini. Can our connection with you be severed like it was with Zordon and if I can I will begin working to adjust the security protocols so that only those who's DNA matches the ones scanned can enter into our base."

"Adjust the protocols anyway, Billy." Adam said with a grim look on his face. "Only allow those cleared for now. Better to play if safe rather than have Trini's spirit and our base trashed like you guys told us about Tommy doing when he was controlled by Rita's evil spell."

"Good idea, Adam." Justin said stepping over to the security console. "Billy is it all right if I flush all the old ranger's access and just leave the seven of us authorized for now? We can add signatures back in as we scan and clear people."

The whine of the teleporters went off to reveal a ragged looking Ethan being held tightly by an enraged Tommy Oliver. "But, Dr. O!" Ethan was heard saying as they appeared. "I can't tell you what's going on. You know I would if I could, but…" Ethan's voice trailed off as his science teacher and former DinoThunder mentor and teammate gasped in shock as he released Ethan's neck and fell to his knees in shock.

"Trini?" Tommy gasped his question and almost prayer as he went down slowly. Ethan managed to grab his teacher and keep him from going all the way to the floor. "Why did Dr. O faint?" Confusion reigned in Ethan's voice as he eased his mentor to the floor.

"Ethan," Trini started and was cut off by Billy. "Trini died in a car accident in early September of 2001, Ethan. Tommy's reaction will probably mirror everyone of our former teammates and associates that know of her death."

"Oh," Ethan said and paled a little when he looked toward where Trini was floating in the large tube in the center of the Power Chamber's main control room. "You're a ghost?"

"Some would call my current state that, Ethan." Trini said with smile as Tommy's coughing signaled his return from his faint.

"What the HELL is going ON!" Tommy demanded as he jumped up and again looked at Trini floating calmly in a faint yellow glow where Zordon's head would normally have been.

"Obviously something to do with needing a new team of Power Rangers." Billy said calmly in response to Tommy's demand. "Unfortunately it looks as though Angle Grove will again be under attack if Trini's presence in Zordon's customary place along with the rebuilding of the Power Chamber is any indication, Tommy."

"Shit!" Tommy said looking at the matching 'watches' on Ethan, Cam, Justin, Adam, and Billy's left wrists. "You need a hand with anything, you call me." Tommy told Billy sternly. "I don't give a damn if you haul me out of class full of students. You grab me!"

"Well Tommy's clean, at least." Adam sighed and then looked at the smiles on Aisha, Tanya, Justin, Cam, and Ethan's faces.

"What do you mean by I'm clean?" Tommy asked and then seconds later gasped in shock. "Oh shit! It's a Ranger that's behind this evil isn't it?"

"Unfortunately it is, Tommy." Trini replied with a sad tone. "There is a huge surge of evil energy building the Morphin Grid. The first attacks will come within a week at most. I don't have any idea of who the evil former Ranger could be; I just know that the one corrupted to evil is a former Power Ranger. I do not even know what color they wore to narrow down the search parameters with."

"Well color wouldn't help much, Trini." Tommy said looking around at the five men he'd worked with as Rangers at one time or another in his long and illustrious career as a Power Ranger. "I mean what if it was me yet you knew the color to be, say black. Who would think to scan me since most of you don't know I was just recently the black DinoThunder Ranger? No one would and I remember all too well what it was like under Rita's control. I'll do anything you need to assist you in finding and freeing a fellow Ranger from evil's grasp."

"Okay." Justin said from where he'd gone back to his duties after smiling at Tommy earlier. "All the old DNA access levels have been purged from the system. Now the only way for someone not here at this moment to get into the Power Chamber is for Billy, Cam, Adam, Ethan, or me to bring them in with us. Deep level cellular, molecular, metabolic, and brainwave scans have been engaged to automatically activate whenever that happens. If any abnormalities are detected the teleportation signal will be diverted into a containment forcefield instead of appearing in the main control room with us."

"Good work, Justin." Billy said proudly and that's when Tommy noticed that Justin's 'watch' was red; yet Billy was in charge and his was blue.

"Why the change in leadership color, Trini?" Tommy asked as he looked up into her face.

"Because the need is there, Tommy." Trini said with a smug tone of voice. The smugness in her tone was tempered by the look she bestowed down upon Tommy that spoke volumes of its own.

"Because the person that's been turned to evil is a former Ranger and would expect the leader to be in red." Tommy said thoughtfully as he looked around at the people in the room when his gaze fell upon Justin a new respect shown from his eyes for the once little boy that stepped up and became a valuable teammate during the era of the Turbo powers. "This person will concentrate their attacks on the Red Ranger to incapacitate or handicap the team by taking our their leader. Justin; you know that a ton of bad stuff is going to come your way wearing that color, don't you? Can you handle that kind of heat?"

"I realized it the second Trini told us that the traditional color for the leader was changing, Tommy." Justin said with a grim yet confident expression on his, now, handsome adult features. "I'mable to handle whatever this new threat to Angel Grove and Earth decides to bring my way. I learned how to be a Ranger from you, Adam, Tanya, and Kat while also extending that teaching to Carlos, TJ, Ashley, and Cassie when the time came for the Passing of the Torch to a new set of Rangers under Demitria. I had a black belt in karate at that time, Tommy. I believe I will be perfectly capable of dealing with anything I have to during my time as the Red Ranger of Genius Force."

"Genius Force?" Tommy asked then smiled as he saw that Trini had aptly named and chosen her team of Rangers. "You chose well, Trini, and a more perfect name couldn't have been found for this gathering. Ethan, you know if you need any technical help that Haley will give it happily; just give her a warning before teleporting her out of the Cyber Space; okay?"

"I'll try, Dr. O." Ethan said with a small smile for his teacher, mentor, teammate, and friend. "Can't give any guarantees; but will do my best. Looks like I've got a lot to learn about how things work around here, though. How did you know THAT button on my new watch would bring us here?"

"I would presume to guess that since Trini based our morpher communicator combination off of my original design for the first wrist communicators that Tommy would be familiar with the design enough to hazard a guess as to what that button was for, Ethan." Billy told Ethan with a smile.

"Oh, okay." Ethan said with a small smile in return. "Just wasn't sure exactly where Dr. O and I would wind up when he pressed that button while demanding to know what was going on."

"Don't worry about it, Ethan." Adam said with a smile for his teammate. "Tommy's bark is much worse than his bite. But I want to know how you knew something was going on with Ethan?"

"Haley and I were down in the Dino Lab, which is my basement, cleaning up and restoring everything we could after Zeltrax trashed the place just before we got rid of him and Mesogog too." Tommy answered calmly yet his face bore a large smile. "Haley had just gotten the main computer back online when you teleported Ethan away from Reefside. Haley used his communicator to track where he was taken. When she said that he'd been taken to someplace in the mountains outside Angel Grove I was so relieved I think I scared her just a little bit when I told her that Ethan was in good hands and that I'd go to his apartment and wait for him to get back."

"So when Billy sent me back home," Ethan said with a forlorn look on his face. "There's Dr. O standing in my bedroom and glaring daggers at me while demanding to know what the hell was going on."

"Sorry Ethan." Tommy said and he smiled at the others. "Why did Justin change the security protocols, Billy? Only someone with a Genius Force morpher… " Tommy stopped and then looked up into Trini's sad face. "The bad guy has access to a morpher?"

"Possibly two morphers, Tom." Billy replied for Trini without thinking. "Trini told us that two of the morphers were stolen from Trey. He had them constructed from plans Trini gave him and he was safe guarding them. He has no idea who could have taken them, according to Trini."

"Possibly two evil rangers?" Tommy asked with growing concern rising in his slightly panicked voice. "Your going to need back up, Bill. Ranger powered back up. I can still morph into Zeo Ranger five, so Tanya and Kat should be able to do so too. Rocky, Kim, and Aisha should still have access to their Ninja powers. The Astro Rangers, Lightspeed Rescue, and two of the Time Force Rangers still have morphing abilities too." Tommy stopped talking and then looked around at the varying degrees of uncertainty in the faces of the five new members of Genius Force. "SHIT!" Tommy spat out in anger. "You can't trust a one of them until you they're cleared. Damn it all to hell and back! Don't ever let me get my hands on this evil ranger cause I'll kick his ass all the way to Triforia and back for causing this mess!"

"Tommy," Trini said calmly and without rancor or even anger in her tone. "We do not know if this former Ranger is working for evil willingly or not. What if it turns out to be Rocky, Kat, Kimberly, or Jason? Will you still want to take out your anger on one of your dearest friends?"

"No!" Tommy spat out angrier than ever. "Damn this is fine mess you've been saddled with guys. I'll help anyway I can and with anything you need me for. I know where most all of the retired Rangers from the Astro Rangers to the Wild Force Rangers can be found or how to contact them. I'm sure Cam and Ethan can get their former teammates to submit to the scans without too much hassle."

"Your help will be invaluable in contacting the teams, Tommy." Trini said with a small smile of gratitude showing on her expressive and lovely Asian features. "For now everyone should go home and rest; tomorrow will be soon enough to start on the task of designing and constructing a portable scanning device that will do the level of scanning we must to detect the hidden evil."

"All right, we'll all meet back here at… " Billy said and was stopped when the attack alarms started ringing and the Power Chamber was filled with flashing lights and sirens. "Adam, start the scans! Justin, get the images up on the screen! Tommy, you, Aisha, and Tanya stay here until we know what's going on. The consoles are just slightly different, but shouldn't present a problem with you doing my old job."

"On it." Tommy said as he, Aisha, and Tanya each manned a console and freed up Justin and Adam to join Billy, Cam, and Ethan watching the viewing globe.

"What the heck are those things?" Cam asked as the picture on viewing globe cleared to show a vaguely man shaped blob of metal with the head of ugly looking bird, the hands were somewhat deformed and only on hand could clearly be seen the other looked like it was encased in a spherical, spiked metal ball. The legs were clearly robotic in nature and were mismatched gold and silver colored.

"They look like a cross between a Tenga, a Putty Patroller, and Cog." Adam said with a grimace at the things, as they seemed to strut around the park destroying everything in their path. "They're trashing the park!"

"Guys look at this!" Tanya called and view on the large screen changed to show what appeared to be Lord Zedd standing behind the cobbled together monstrosities that were trashing one of Angel Grove's largest parks. "That can't be Zedd?" Billy gasped, as the shadowy form seemed to waver slightly. "The Zordon wave returned him, Rita, Divatox, and Astronema to their human forms. Can you clear up the signal Tanya or do you need help?"

"I can clean it up a little, Billy." Tanya said with a frown. "There's some kind of distortion field in place around him or coming off whatever he's wearing."

"That kind a looks like a version of the exoskeleton Zedd used to wear." Tommy said looking up at the screen for quick second.

"More like a powered armored suit." Justin said suddenly. "Like a zord, only human sized."

"Okay, feed us what information you can. We've got to get out there and keep them contained in the park before they venture further a field and do more damage to the City." Cam said sternly.

"It's Morphin Time!" Billy called out and brought his left arm from behind his back as Adam, Justin, Ethan, and Cam mirrored his move and his shoulder width apart spread legged forward facing stance exactly.

"Genius Force, Blue, Power On!" Billy called and was surrounded in a bright blue glow that died quickly to reveal an armored Ranger in a uniform that looked exactly like his first Blue Ranger armor.

"Genius Force, Red, Power On!" Justin called out next and he stood there looking down at suit of armor he'd only seen displayed in the Power Chamber until it was destroyed. "Cool!"

"Genius Force, Green, Power On!" Cam came next and Tommy had to watch as Cam disappeared in a green glow. Tommy was slightly disappointed when the familiar golden v-shaped shield was missing from over the Green Ranger's chest as well as the gold wrist bracers were missing too.

"Genius Force, Black, Power On!" Adam called and Aisha, Tommy, and Tanya smiled as the dark glow around Adam died reveling him standing there in an almost exact duplicate of the first Black Ranger's armor.

"Genius Force, White, Power On!" Ethan said sternly as he was the last to morph into a completely white armor with black diamonds: an exact reversed image of Adam that stood next to him. "Wow!" Ethan said in shock as he looked down for the first time.

The only differences that the other rangers that had worn these uniforms before could see was that the helmets didn't reflect an animal's visage, but seemed to look something like what an exposedbrain would. The five teleported away in streaks of colored light that matched their ranger colors while Tommy, Adam, and Tanya returned to the scans.

Once they'd arrived at the park where the seemingly cobbled together henchmen were tossing around benches and garbage cans with abandon; the Genius Force Rangers meet them in a small clearing between picnic sites and the battle was joined. They soon discovered that even though their foes appeared to be conglomerations of three separate henchmen that they were extremely strong, agile, and tough to take down. They fought fiercely and soon there were no foes left in once piece. That's when the hidden, armored, man stepped into the light where he could finally be seen. Billy gasped at the terrible visage of something that looked to be Lord Zedd's former demonic face twisted and overlaid with something that resembled the image of Ivan Ooze as well.

"Welcome Rangers," The man growled in a voice that was clearly mechanically distorted. "I see you took care of my constructs rather easily. I will have to make them tougher for our next encounter. The Earth will be mine and you and all that have come before you will be nothing but dust and memories! I am Redigore and the you shall fall to my power!"

"Not while were able to do anything about that!" Justin said stepping forward into the leader role before Billy could do or say anything.

"Tommy," Billy whispered into his helmet's microphone. "You did record his little speech didn't you? We might be able to get rid of the distortion and find out who this is without too much trouble."

"Recording everything that goes on out there, Billy." Tommy replied on the helmet only channel.

"Oh I'm quaking in my boots." Redigore said with a contemptuous and deriding tone of voice clear even in the distortion. "The team's leader want to challenge me to a battle. Not today pipsqueak. I just wanted to see if my henchmen were capable of getting through your defenses. Good bye."

Redigore and all the pieces of his destroyed henchmen were engulfed in a slightly purple tinged beam of light that teleported them away and left the Genius Force Rangers standing there in varying stages of shock. Before any of them could say anything they were teleported back to the Power Chamber.

"That was most definitely not what I'm used to an evil being doing." Justin said as he powered down with a grim and determined look covering his face. "Next time I'll just jump him before he can get away!"

"What was it that Redigore said just after I asked if you were recording everything, Tommy?" Billy asked and then looked at Tommy's white, shock stricken expression.

"Billy, he said almost exactly what Ivan did the first time we confronted him." Aisha said in a small amount of shock. "He can't be back can he? We destroyed him with that comet, didn't we?"

"That is not, exactly or completely, Ivan Ooze." Trini said with a great deal of concern as the results from all the scans played over the interior of Zordon's tube where only she could see them. "There are human life signs showing in the scans; but they are so distorted by two different evil energy signatures as well as a very twisted and weak Ranger power sign that it is impossible to determine anything from these scans. Even taking each signature and looking at them separately; the computers cannot glean enoughinformation to tellwho is in that disgusting looking armor or what evil could be the corrupting influence."

"We're not going to build just one scanner, Trini." Billy said with determination in his voice. "We're going to build multiples. The quicker we scan the other Rangers, the sooner they can be told of the menace that has threatened them as well as our world. We have to start now!"

"Can the teleporters bring someone in without one of you being with them?" Tommy asked as he looked directly at Ethan.

"Not anymore Tommy." Justin said with a frown.

"What are you proposing, Tommy?" Billy asked calmly his anger suppressed for now.

"That Ethan go to Reefside and bring Haley here to help you guys build these scanners, tonight." Tommy told Billy with a small bite of his old command tones leaking into his very angry voice. "The more hands you have helping the quicker it will get done. Haley is good, Bill. She's the one that took your notes and files and built the DinoThunder morphers, weapons, and vehicles. She also worked with Anton and me in creating the Dino Zords the team used."

"Go and get Haley, Ethan." Billy said with a tired sigh. "Tommy is right and he, Tanya, and Aisha can watch and help her out while we get some rest. Those things were tough and we've already been warned they're going to get tougher."

"All right." Ethan said before teleporting out without powering down. He returned just a few minutes later with a shocked and surprised Haley holding his hand. Ethan released her hand and then he powered down.

"What in the world?" Haley asked and then her eyes almost bulged out when she saw Trini in Zordon's old warp tube. "Oh my. I take it that a new team has been created?"

"Welcome to the Power Chamber and base of operations for the Genius Force Power Rangers, Haley." Trini said with a small apologetic smile on her face. "We are in need of your technical assistance it seems."

"I'll help anyway that I can." Haley said and then smiled when Tommy led her over to a computer console.

"For once, Hales," Tommy said with a bit of humor in his voice. "I get to teach you something about a computer. Come on the team needs to rest. We can work out what's needed and then once they've had a few hours of sleep; we can get to work building the scanner."

Billy, Ethan, Justin, and Adam left the room. Cam stayed behind to speak with Trini for just a moment.

"Trini?" Cam asked quietly as Haley was going over the files Trini had Tommy give her to read.

"Yes, Cam." Trini said with a smile. "What is it?"

"I've got a cyber version AI of myself that might be able to help if he's compatible with your computer programming. He might be able to do something to help Haley or try making sense of those scans while the team sleeps. I can download him in just a few seconds if you give your permission."

"Go ahead Cam." Trini said with a thoughtful expression showing on her face. "Just be sure to partition off the partition of the computer's memory that you put him into. I do not want an AI running rampant in the entire core."

"All right, but he might get past your firewalls no matter what I do." Cam said with an apologetic tone. "He's an AI version of me. I programmed him, originally; but he's grown since then."

"Do it anyway, Cam." Trini said with a smile for Cam. "Any assistance we have at this point gets us that much closer to keeping Angel Grove and the Earth safe for another generation."

Cam downloaded Cyber-Cam into the mainframe of the Power Chamber's computers and gave him strict instructions not to venture where he wasn't allowed before he joined his teammates in much needed sleep.

Cyber-Cam, Tommy, Aisha, Haley, Tanya, and Trini worked for six hours before the Genius Force team joined them. Three hours later, a design for a portable scanner powerful enough yet small enough to scan someone without giving away what was happening was residing in the computers of the Power Chamber.

Haley, Tommy, Aisha, and Tanya retired to the living quarters Trini had caused to be included in the Power Chamber, as the forces of good and the power of the Morphin Grid rebuilt it once more, while Billy, Cam, Ethan, Justin, and Adam began construction of their first prototype device.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Chapter XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, leave a review, please.

Next chapter returns to the past and the Astro Rangers and Jason's travels to Ryan's Comet. What they find and what happens will throw you completely for a loop.

Until then, May the Power Protect You. Pern


	4. Chapter 4

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** _This storyline is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2004. The main storyline will take place in 2005 during the time all of us were watching SPD. Thank you to everyone that sent in a review for the first two chapters of this tale. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Okay this chapter jumps back to the past, again. Jason, Andros, Zhane, Karone, TJ, Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley are aboard the Megaship Mark II and DECA is searching out the trajectory of Ryan's Comet. Enjoy folks._

Chapter Four – Ryan's Comet Found 

"Andros?" Jason questioned, as the door to what he was told was the simulation deck opened with a slight swish.

"Ahh, right on time, Jason." Andros's voice issued from nearby and Jason almost jumped when the shorter man stepped in front of him. "Come on in. I was just programming the sim deck for your practice on a Galaxy Glider."

"That those things the looked like a jet powered boogie board?" Jason asked as he stepped into the room. His voice held curiosity and just a small tinge of worry too.

"Boogie board?" Andros asked with a frown of concentration that slowly changed into a look of uncertainty.

"Shorter version of a surfboard that's used for body surfing." Jason said with a tone of patience and a smile for Andros's confusion and uncertainty.

"I've never seen one of those." Andros said with a smile and then nodded his head in a yes motion as he continued. "Although from your description it sounds almost like a Galaxy Glider."

"Well if riding a Galaxy Glider is anything like catching a wave; then I shouldn't have a problem. Every Californian kid just about learns to ride a board and shoot a wave before they can walk."

"I think Ashley said it was similar to surfing when they did the simulation." Andros said with a fond smile crossing his face. "You just have to remember that there is no water under you if you fall off, so don't."

"I'm safe in the simulation, right?" Jason asked with a bit of trepidation leaking into his false confident tone.

"The worse you might come out of this with is a few bruises to your pride, Jason." Andros said with a smile as he started the program running. "That's the reason for this whole deck. It's to make sure that you're capable or else that you're riding with down to the comet's surface with Zhane or I. And if we do have to go to Onyx, you won't be the one going to the surface. I will. There isn't a safe place to land the Megaship there and the only way on or off that world would be by taking a Glider."

"What about Triforia or Aquitar?" Jason asked with a worried frown as the simulation started running and he found himself standing in the depths of space with nothing but the blackness of space under his feet and a Galaxy Glider floating calmly next to him. "Whoa! Warn me next time, Andros!" Jason cried in shock as a wave of vertigo washed over him and he felt like he was falling away from Andros and the glider next to him.

Andros smiled slightly behind his helmet and helped Jason onto the Glider that floated next to him and as he did he said, "Sorry, I forgot that the first time this simulation starts it's disconcerting for some. You're not really morphed right now, just a simulated version of your Ranger armor. Now, follow me around a bit and we'll see how well you do. I'm not expecting us to have to take the Gliders into a dogfight situation, but we'll go through the standard training program fully. Depending on how fast you learn, we can just leave the Megaship in orbit around Triforia and Aquitar and take the Gliders down. If you're not very good by the time we get to those worlds, then we'll land the ship."

Jason relaxed slightly once his feet were on the hull of the Galaxy Glider and then he realized he was looking out at the stars and blackness around him through the helmet of his Red Ranger's Armor. He smiled as he easily followed the actions Andros did on the red board in front of him and he smiled even more as he realized that this was as close to surfing as he'd thought it would be. There wasn't the feel of the water rushing beneath the board under his feet, but the slight vibration of the powerful engine was just as comforting. The lack of sounds was a little unusual; however he loved the feel and the beauty of the surrounding emptiness. He felt at peace for once. Something he hadn't felt since Murithanis. "This is wonderful, Andros!" Jason said with a bright happy smile that conveyed itself over the communications channel very well.

"Well," Andros replied with his own smile and delight showing too. "Let's see how well you can follow me. You seem to be as much of a natural as Ashley was when she first did the Galaxy Glider Sims." Andros leaned forward to increase the speed of his board and soon the two were zooming back and forth through the simulated cosmos with ease. DECA's computer generated voice warned both men that the simulation would be terminating shortly.

"Andros," DECA's soft voice could be heard by both men clearly. "Simulated Galaxy Glider program has run it's course and will be terminated in one minute."

A soft ding sounded and Jason just barely had the time to register that he was again standing in a huge dimly lit room and no longer looking through the familiar helmet. "We have to do that again sometime soon, Andros." Jason's very happy and bright smile was answered by one from the Kevorian as the two men exited the deck and went toward the small galley to get something to drink and share the evening meal with the other Astro Rangers.

"Actually," Andros said as they walked down the corridor to the closest lift back to the main area of the Megaship, "We'll take out the real thing and you can have the experience of dropping down the jump chute, Jason. That's a rush in and of itself because just before you land on your Glider you morph automatically."

"Tomorrow?" Jason asked with a happy and contented look on his face.

"We'll see how the search for the comet goes." Andros replied with a smile. "DECA should be having some results on the projected path after colliding with Ivan and his Ectomorphicon by then. But, if we can't do the real thing; I'll run the jump tube simulation so you'll have a feel for it."

The two men entered the small galley area of the ship and they joined the other Astro Rangers and Karone in a meal that was marked by gentle teasing, loving hugs, and Jason was included without a thought or objection into their close knit family. After their evening meal, Jason made his good nights to everyone and retreated to the cabin Andros had given him for the journey.

"_God, Tommy and the others would have loved being able to ride one of those Gliders."_ Jason thought happily as he settled his large frame comfortably on the bunk and turned out the light overhead. He fell almost immediately into sleep and the living nightmare his night's had become.

"**_Yes, Tommy and the others would just love to take that experience from you too, Jason."_** The nightmare started again for Jason. The same one he'd had for the past six years. He was powerless to force himself awake and watched as he, repeatedly, fought against, Tommy and was tossed careless away and into the pit of lava below as Tommy stood on the edge and laughed happily while saying, "That gets one more lodestone from around my neck. Now I can do what I want with the team without having to constantly put up with their whining that 'Jason would have done it differently'. Pathetic losers all of them" **_"See Jason. They care nothing for you and everything you've sacrificed for them over the years. Your powers to an ungrateful Rocky, Trey's Powers damaged you to where you couldn't even morph anymore, and now; now Tommy only wants you dead so his team will keep from whining for their rightful leader back. Tommy cares nothing for the loss of your parents; his are still alive and he doesn't care for you or any that you care for, Jason. Grow up and embrace that which I give you, take the power and use it to rid yourself of those that only strive to keep you down."_**

Jason tossed restless in his sleep as he fought off the reoccurring nightmare he could never remember when he woke up the next day. His body rested while his mind fought against the twisted truth that it was bombarded with. His mental barriers were weakening and, in his dreams, he knew it. He could just never remember what he'd dreamed the night before and hadn't been able to since returning home from the awful waking nightmare of Murithanis.

The next morning, Andros was surprised to discover Jason already awake and dressed while everyone else was just struggling from bed. "Did you have problems sleeping, Jason?" Andros asked in concern as he got his food from the Synthetron and joined Jason at the table.

"No, not at all, Andros." Jason replied with a dull, flat tone. "I slept just fine, thank you for asking."

"Is there something wrong, Jason?" Andros asked his Ranger instincts starting to prickle the back of his neck as the dull, flat tone of Jason's voice along with the blank expression and the dead eyes were causing him to regret sitting this close to someone as muscular as Jason had become over the years.

"Nothing's wrong, Andros." Jason said flatly and completely without emotion. "Ryan's Comet should be sighted in a few hours. Everything will be as it should once we've found Ooze's remains and he can no longer be a threat to me or my plans."

"How?" Andros asked as he rose quickly from the table; however he didn't move quick enough to stop the lightning fast right hook Jason's body landed against the right side of his face and he groaned as he felt consciousness leaving him. Andros awoke slowly and knew he was someplace onboard the Megaship, still. _"Thank the powers for small favors."_ Andros thought groggily as he struggled to get at least one hand free from the tight bindings that held him immobile and securely bound to the hard deck plating under him. _"Who the fuck tied me up?"_ Andros panicked slightly when he couldn't seem to reach the inherent telekinesis that had saved him time and again from situations like this before. _"ZHANE!"_ Andros screamed his best friend's name in his mind. He heard a muffled thump next to him and managed to turn his head slightly and see the shock of platinum blond hair that signified Zhane was also a prisoner of whatever had taken over Jason's mind and obviously, by the throbbing of the right side of his face, his body as well.

One by one the Astro Rangers were knocked unconscious and then regained consciousness bound tightly to the hard deck plates in one of the cargo holds. Andros and Zhane's telekinesis were somehow blocked; however for some reason, as far as either Andros or Zhane could tell, Karone's wasn't. But until she regained consciousness, there was nothing they could do about their predicament.

"Andros?" TJ asked quietly from his position bound on the floor next to Andros. "What the hell is going on? Jason was in the galley and we were talking when he suddenly cold-cocked me and I wake up bound to the frigging deck plates of what looks to be cargo bay three."

"Someone or something seems to have taken over Jason." Zhane groaned. "When the Mark II was built they upgraded the psychic shielding all over the ship; so whatever has control over Jason is on him or in him. DECA's scans show nothing physically wrong with Jason, however the routine psychic scans showed that his Delta waves were off the chart while sleeping. Either he's having great dreams or we brought him onboard and he's turned on the forces of good."

"Jason was too adamant about going on this mission to be sure that Ooze couldn't return like the Machine Empire did." Andros said in Jason's defense and then smiled as he heard Karone groan nearby. "Karone?"

"Dros?" Karone said groggily. "What's…?"

"Karo," Andros said with a sympathetic tone. "I'm kinda tied up right now, sis. Think you can zap me free?"

"I'll try, Dros." Karone said with a tone that showed she was still very groggy and uncertain of what was going on.

Andros smiled as he felt his bonds start to loosen enough that he could almost pull a hand free. He finally managed to get one hand free and reach the small laser that was slung on his hip. He used the beam to cut himself free and quickly freed the others. They all jumped to their feet and took up fighting stances as the doors opened and Jason walked in, his face still blank of any expression and his very expressive eyes looking over them with blank emptiness "I see that one of the Earther spawn must have a small measure of telekinesis." Jason's voice dripped with evil; however his expression never changed. "No matter, you cannot stop me and… ugh." Jason's body turned to leave the cargo bay as he spoke and he never knew that TJ, a fellow red, was the one that used a large wrench to knock him unconscious.

Andros, Zhane, and Carlos carried Jason into the medical bay while Ashley and Cassie helped Karone back to Zhane's cabin. TJ ran to the bridge and was shocked to see that the starboard sensors were displaying Ryan's Comet in all it's glory as the large, fast ship kept pace with the hurtling chunk of dirt and ice.

Jason woke up strapped tightly to a bed in the medical bay. "What the hell?" He asked in confusion as he turned his head to discover Andros and TJ standing by the door with angry glaring expressions, even as their body language also conveyed wariness.

"You tell me, Jason." Andros stated angrily from the doorway. "You blindsided me at breakfast this morning and I woke up in cargo bay three with a broken jaw and strapped down on the deck plates. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me?" Jason asked his voice a mix of confusion and pain. "I went to sleep in the cabin you assigned me and wake up strapped to a bed in what looks to be the med bay; with a splitting headache that fells like Tommy used my skull for boxing practice. What is going on around here?"

"Jason, DECA's controls frozen." Andros said angrily even as he remained out the more powerful man's reach. "We're pacing Ryan's Comet, for now; but you have to tell me what you did to my ship!"

"I told you; I've not been out of my cabin since I went to sleep last night!" Jason roared in frustration as he lunged against the restraints; only to fall back with a groan of pain as the headache resumed full force.

"Scans of the comet's surface completed." DECA's voice echoed throughout the ship and everyone jumped slightly. "Remains of morphological being Ivan Ooze and metallic parts from the Ectomorphicon detected in large quantities on the surface. Ooze is frozen and had not recombined; however projected path of the comet brings it into proximity of three suns that would thaw the surface enough for that being to be restored to life within one Earth year. Awaiting instructions."

"Blast the thing into millions of tiny pieces!" TJ ordered with a shocked tone of voice. "That should stop that bastard from ever being able to recombine."

"The heat from the weapons of this ship would speed up the thawing process and there is a ninety-five percent probability that Ivan Ooze would be reborn. Awaiting further instructions." DECA's voice replied with what TJ and Andros thought was a sneer.

"DECA?" Jason asked from his place on the bed. "Chances of getting the comet's path altered to where it would never come into the range of any star that would warm it enough for Ivan to pull himself back together again?"

"Inconclusive results, Jason." DECA replied in her normal tones. "Parameters are too large to extrapolate and consequences of wrong results would result in rebirth."

"Then we'll have to fall back onto plan B, DECA." Jason sighed in resignation. "Go to the surface of the comet and scrape up every ounce of that bastard and then consign it into a black hole or else that find a world that will never unthaw and deposit it there."

"Initiating landing sequence for Ooze retrieval." DECA announced and everyone felt the change in the ship as it moved to land on the surface of the comet. "Black hole coordinates set into memory and once retrieval has been completed; containers will be ejected into event horizon."

"What just a damned minute, DECA!" Andros shouted as he stood in the medical bay in shock. "I gave no order for you to land nor did I give the order for the course changes you are making."

"The command of this mission was turned over to Jason Lee Scott by Andros of Kevoria at 0800 hours, ship's time, this morning." DECA replied with a smug sounding tone of voice. "He gives the orders now."

"What the hell?" Jason asked looking at Andros in confusion. "I was still sleeping at eight o'clock this morning. I just woke up strapped to the table in the med bay. I didn't do this, Andros. I wouldn't! DECA and the Mark II are YOUR ship!"

"Apparently, she's yours now." Andros said with an angry growl as he stepped to where Jason was tightly bound. "What have you done to her, Jason?"

"DECA!" Jason cried out his command tones ringing in the medical bay's small confines and causing TJ to jump slightly at the biting tone. "Return command and control of the Mark II back to Andros of Kevoria as of this minute, ship's time!"

"Logged." DECA answered with a puzzled tone and then the ship shuddered as it veered away from the dangerous landing it had been attempting. "Andros of Kevoria is again in command of the Megaship Mark II as of 1800 ship's time. What are my orders, Andros?"

"Pace the comet, DECA." Andros said with a sigh as he heard the computers normal tones addressing him.

"Pacing Ryan's Comet until further orders." DECA answered.

"Thank the powers." Jason sighed and relaxed completely onto the bed. "Andros, I don't know what's happening; but I think we'd better leave the comet and return. Get me to Trey or Billy; maybe they can find out why I'm missing over twelve hours and can't remember doing anything after going to sleep last night. This isn't the first time this has happened in the last few years either."

"I'll run the scans, manually." Zhane said as he entered the room and looked at the pale faces of the three men he readily called friend. "DECA's latest antics have me hesitant to have her do anything until Carlos and Cassie can check over the records. Andros, why don't you and Teej go and see how they're doing. Ashley is at the helm and will override to manual if DECA goes bonkers again."

TJ and Andros left the room and Zhane placed a small cap on Jason's head that had a multitude of colored wires dangling from it. "This will scan your brainwave patterns while awake and sleeping, Jason." Zhane explained patiently. "Depending on the scans; I'll see you in a few hours to let you up or else that you will not wake up and go directly into a stasis chamber until we can reach Triforia or Aquitar at emergency speeds."

Jason didn't get a chance to reply as the device was activated and he was sent into a coma like state while the scanner processed the results. Zhane sat worriedly by Jason's side and watched the results flow over the monitor, which was separate from DECA's systems, parade by at a slow pace as the machine took Jason's brain from an false state of awareness to a deep sleep. Zhane almost missed the small beep of the monitor as it registered a presence alien to Jason's brain; however he never had a chance to react and found himself on the floor as Jason easily broke the restraints and sent him flying across the small bay to crash into the wall and slide to the floor unconscious.

"Stupid, stupid fool." Jason sneered evilly as he rose from the bed. "My plans will not be thwarted by any human, Power Ranger or not! I will succeed in returning to life and ruling the universe!"

Jason walked the short distance from the medical bay and into the small pass through that Andros had pointed out as the Jump Tube bay. He vaulted easily into the opening marked for the Red Ranger and slid down to morph and land on Andros's Galaxy Glider, which immediately launched. He flew expertly to the comet's surface and used a large container he'd taken from the med bay to gather a large amount of Ivan Ooze's frozen remains. He concentrated on the contents of the clear container and they started to glow a slightly darker shade of purple. No one could see the evil smile that crossed his face as he jumped back onto the Glider and returned to the Megaship without alerting anyone that he'd been gone.

Jason quietly and carefully returned to the unconscious man in the medical bay. He opened the container and smeared a small amount of the substance from the comet's surface over Zhane's face and watched as it absorbed into his skin, leaving no sign that anything had happened to the Silver Astro Ranger at all. Zhane's eyes opened and he rose to his feet. His eyes flashed slightly with a blackish purple glow and then he smiled at Jason and took the container from his hand. "You should lie back down on the bed, sire." Zhane said in a tone that was almost devoid of any emotion. "I will see to administering the control salve to your other slaves for you."

"Very good, Zhane." Jason's voice dripped with evil, as his face twisted into a grotesque smile none had seen since Maligore's possession on Murithanis. "I will rest and remember when that sniveling human is in control; all must act normally. I am not yet strong enough to take full possession of his being for long lengths of time. He believes he is having nightmares in his sleep. I will soon have control for once he is broken in his dreams; only I will remain."

"Yes, sire." Zhane answered with a twisted grimace of evil and left the room while Jason's body lay back down on the bed. The eyes closed and the only indication of the mental struggle going on for the possession of the body was small twitches of the hands and feet while the eyes moved restlessly and almost ceaselessly behind the closed lids.

Zhane did exactly what he'd told whatever it was controlling Jason he would do. He surprised Karone in their cabin and quickly smeared a small amount of the pulsing purplish black goo into her face. The two took Ashley and Cassie as they walked toward their cabins for a much needed rest. TJ and Carlos were taken the same way. Ashley did Andros's corruption as he slept, unaware; in the cabin they shared that night. By morning what or whoever battled the first Red Ranger for control of his mind and body; all of the Astro Ranger were now under the controlling influence of Ivan Ooze's hypnotic remains.

**_A/N: _**That's it for this chapter folks. Read and leave me a review if you would, please. A huge "thank you", kudos, and massive amounts of bowing and scraping at the feet of Psav2005 & Silverline Scimitar for their patience and support as I wrote this chapter of Genius Force. Without their help and extra support from XrachX I would have never posted this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5 Scanning & Fighting

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** _This storyline is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2004. The main storyline will take place in 2005 during the time all of us were watching SPD. Thank you to everyone that sent in a review for the first two chapters of this tale. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Okay this chapter takes place around the beginning of 2005. Billy, Adam, Justin, Ethan, and Cam with help from Tommy, Aisha, Tanya, Hayley, Cyber-Cam, and Alpha 8 have constructed nine of the portable scanners. Enjoy and on with the tale!_

Chapter Five – Scanning & Fighting

Tommy walked into Rocky's Stone Canyon Karate School with a somber look on his face. He saw Rocky teaching a class and then moved to where he could scan his former teammate without attracting undue attention. The small scanners that the group had developed were perfectly concealed as nothing more interesting than a common everyday cellular phone and actually did work like a cell phone; except these cell phones operated off the machinery in the restored Power Chamber. Tommy opened up the flip-style device and punched a couple of buttons as if making a call. He then closed it and pointed the device at Rocky. Invisible beams ran from the head to the toes of the second Red Mighty Morphin, first red Ninjetti/Ninja Ape, and first Blue Zeo Ranger and then back to his head. A small beep signaled the end of the scan and Tommy sighed in relief as the negative results were returned on the small LED screen on the front of the phone. Rocky dismissed the class and then noticed Tommy standing by the office doorway with a smile on his face.

"Tommy!" Rocky said happily as he joined his former teammate and ushered him into the office. "Man it's good to see you again. How've you been?"

"I'm doing good, Rocko." Tommy said with a truly genuine smile on his face. "Teaching, of all things, high school science up in Reefside. Was in the area and thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing. We don't get together enough anymore."

"That we don't, Tommy." Rocky said instantly sobering and looking at the worry showing in his friend's eyes. "What's going on, Tom?" He asked with a serious tone and his joking demeanor fell away to reveal the core of seriousness and resolve that had stood Rocky in good stead during his tenure as a Power Ranger. "I've heard the news that there's been some monster attacks over in AG again. You involved?"

"Sideline only, Rocky." Tommy answered seriously. "Sort of doing Billy's old job while he's got my old position now."

"DO WHAT?" Rocky asked in shock as Tommy's words settled into his mind. "Explain!"

"Not here, Rock." Tommy said with a small smile. "Now that I know you're clean we can discuss this someplace others can't overhear and there's someone that wants to see you again."

"What?" Rocky asked and was surprised when Tommy opened what appeared to be a cell phone and punched a single number on the face before putting it up to his face for talking.

"Red/Blue cleared, teleporting in approximately five minutes. Encode the sequence, he's clean." Tommy said crisply and quickly then shut the phone ending the communication.

"Cleared? Clean? Teleporting?" Rocky asked and was therefore not surprised to feel the very familiar tingle of the Power Chamber's teleportation machinery locking onto him and he and Tommy disappeared in white streams of light. They materialized seconds later in the restored Power Chamber and Rocky didn't faint when he saw Trini floating in Zordon's place. He just paled and leaned against a nearby console before straightening and saying, "Trini, you've been missed."

"Thank you, Rocky." Trini replied with a smile on her face. "I'll leave explanations up to the support team for now, Rocky. I've got to monitor the Grid. There's a disturbance building someplace between here and Stone Canyon. We're trying to pinpoint the location right now."

Tommy led Rocky over to a console where Hayley was working and quickly introduced the two and then left Rocky with Hayley, Aisha, and Tanya to allow them to bring their former teammate up to speed on the situation.

"This is going to take forever, Trini." Tommy groused as he looked up and still received a slight shiver when Trini floated there instead of the familiar and beloved head of his first mentor. "Me popping up and scanning our old teammates is going to start setting off alarms in everyone sooner or later. The only two that need scanned right now are Kimberly and Jason. I can't reach Jase at all and Kimberly's not answering her calls or returning them. I'm a little worried."

"I know, Tommy." Trini said distractedly yet she her voice held compassion for his distress as well. "Cam has just checked in and all his former teammates are clean too and it's the same for your Dino Thunder team. Adam has just cleared Wes and Eric in Silver Hills and they're going to meet up with Billy in Turtle Cove. Justin has just cleared the entire Lightspeed Aqua Base, even those that didn't hold the powers insisted on being scanned. Leo and the Lost Galaxy team are enroute from Mirinoi; however there is still no contact with Andros, Karone, Zhane, TJ, Cassie, Carlos, and Ashley. Jason and Kimberly's disappearance is troubling me too."

"Trey?" Tommy asked and then smiled as the Lord of Triforia stepped out of an adjoining hallway.

"Here, Tommy." Trey said with a smile. "Alpha 8 is completing the upgrades to the Zeo Zords for the Genius Force Rangers to use. I am still distressed about the loss of the Pink and Yellow morphers. I cannot fathom whom or why anyone would take them when they did. They were the first two completed of the set of seven."

"Do not distress over it Trey." Trini told the Triforian Lord with a distracted tone of voice. "Cyber-Cam!" She almost shouted. "Teleport the Rangers back to the Power Chamber, NOW!"

The teleporters whined and in mere seconds five colored streaks of light coalesced into a startled Billy, Ethan, Cam, Justin, and Adam. The two white streaks dimmed and a slightly stunned Wes and Eric stood by Adam's side. "That was a rush." Wes said and then instantly sobered as he looked around the room.

"This place is better than the Clock Tower in Silver Hills was." Eric said with a teasing tone that shocked Wes, Tommy, and Adam.

"Brace for attack!" Trini cried and before everyone could follow her orders the building shook with the force of a massive Richter scale eight-magnitude earthquake. Everyone except for Cyber-Cam, Trini, and Alpha 8 were thrown violently to the floor and then the alarms started ringing as the face of newest evil being attacking Earth showed on the viewing globe.

"If you thought I'd not attack your base of operations, Rangers," Redigore growled angrily, "You're sorely mistaken. The Earth and all her inhabitants will be MINE!"

"What the hell or rather who the FUCK is that?" Eric asked as he helped Adam and Wes up off the floor.

"That is the newest evil attacking Earth; Eric Myers, Quantum Time Force Ranger." Trini answered with a shiver of fright showing in her voice. "It is also one of Earth's Rangers corrupted to the side of evil."

"SHIT!" Wes said as he and Eric shared a look. "We're in. We can still morph and have limited access to our Time Force powers. We're offering a helping hand."

"Thank you for the offer of assistance." Billy said somberly as he helped Aisha, Hayley, and Tanya up off the floor as the others were getting up slowly too. "We just might need your help on this one. Hell we might need any and every Ranger's help on this."

"Trini?" Aisha asked sheepishly yet sternly too. "The Ninjetti power, the Great Power, is still with us. Those that made the trip to Phaedos can still morph."

"Well I can't and neither can Billy." Adam said as he hugged Aisha for a second before wrapping his arms around Tanya.

"No the Genius Force powers would override your connection the Great Power." Trini told them calmly.

"No damage to any systems, dudette." Cyber-Cam chipped in with a flippant tone. "All systems, including the Zords are still functional and at a hundred percent. Don't know what that attack was supposed to do; but it wasn't aimed at anything other than the structure of this place."

"The structure?" Billy asked and then he, Adam, and Justin blanched as Billy bolted for the access to the underground areas. "Lock the doors, Alpha. They're trying to get in through the emergency bunker access route!"

"The security systems?" Adam asked as he snapped a quick glare at Cyber-Cam.

"Fully functional except for sectors twenty-five through thirty-seven." Cyber-Cam answered with a confused look on his face.

"The route we took into here." Justin said blanching as he started after Billy with Adam, Ethan, and Cam on his heels.

"Get the security systems in those sectors operational as soon as possible." Billy snapped as he opened the hatch that would lead to the lower levels. "Wes and Eric! Keep this hatch closed. We'll teleport back. Don't let anyone through this hatch!"

"Go, Billy!" Tommy snapped as he Wes and Eric took up guard positions around the hatch.

Billy and his team dropped through the hatch, morphing in the process. Tommy secured and locked the hatch while Wes and Eric morphed.

"Time for, Time Force!" Wes called out and then before them stood the Red Time Force Ranger.

"Quantum Power!" Eric called into the Morpher he raised to his mouth. He was quickly morphed into the Time Force Quantum Ranger.

In the underground tunnels, the five Genius Force members split up, each taking a different corridor. "Cam, take corridor A-1." Billy ordered as he scanned the area quickly. "Justin, take A-4; Ethan A-2 is yours, Adam, take A-3, I'll take A-5 through 7."

The team split up and went down the corridors they'd been assigned. Billy knew that all the corridors he'd assigned to his teammates would eventually converge at the large emergency bunker they'd been headed to when they'd been teleported into the restored Power Chamber.

Justin was the first to head off and he was the first to run into a group of the strong hybrid Putty Patroller, Tenga or Tengu Warriors, and Cog remains. "Damn, Scramblers in A-4." Justin said as he backed away slightly to give himself a little more fighting room. "Only three here; keep a sharp eye out everyone. There's sure to be more on the other levels."

"Copy, Justin." Billy, Cam, Ethan, and Adam all answered at once. "Yell if you need backup." Adam said as he passed a junction that would allow him to assist Justin the quickest.

"Sure thing, Adam." Justin replied. He barely had time to cut the communication before the Scramblers were upon him.

"Hi-ya!" Justin yelled as he punched the first hybrid henchman and when it bent from the force of the blow to its stomach; Justin used its back to vault into the other two with a flying split kick. "HA!" Justin yelled as he vaulted over the one he'd punched and kicked the other two away. He pulled his blaster and quickly shot the one he'd kicked into the wall and then spun to take out the one he'd punched only to discover that Scrambler had moved. A hard punch to his own abdomen had Justin crying out, "Crap!" As he was bounced off the opposite wall about five or ten feet from where he'd just been standing. "Guys, they're stronger, faster, and smarter! Watch your backs!" The two remaining Scramblers tried to trap Justin between them and seemed surprised when he ducked under their open arms and between them. He jumped and kicked the one on his right with a quickly, yet accurately, snapped spinning heel kick; sending the Scrambler crashing head first into the wall and falling into a purple gooey mess as it disintegrated into its component parts. The final Scrambler slammed Justin back into the wall; but he was ready for the move and he used the momentum of the hit to rebound off the wall and spun in mid-air. He delivered a deadly kick to the Scrambler's head, decapitating it and it too disintegrated in a puddle of purplish ooze on the floor.

Justin advanced down the corridor until he reached the large open hexagonal room that the corridors led into and the hatch that accessed to the next level. "Scramblers in A-4 are neutralized. Just reached the junction and will hold here."

"Understood, Justin." Billy said curtly.

"Copy, Justin." Cam said quietly. "I've got eight Scramblers in A-1. Anyone close enough to lend a hand?"

"On my way, Cam." Justin said turning toward the opening for that hallway.

"I've got the access room, Justin." Adam said as he entered the large room. "No Scramblers in A-3."

Justin made his way quickly and quietly toward Cam's position. _"Danged having a location signal show up in the helmets would have come in handy during my time as the Blue Turbo Ranger."_ Justin thought wryly. As Justin was hurrying to join up with Cam, the Scramblers spotted the former Green Samurai Ninja Storm Ranger and charged. Cam was swarmed with opponents and was being pummeled mercilessly when Justin's loud "Hi-Ya" echoed in Cam's helmet intercom as well as down the corridor. Cam rallied, with Justin's help, and soon the two were working very well together as they bashed the conglomerated henchmen of Redigore into puddles of purplish ooze and metal parts. "Justin! Duck!" Cam cried as he tossed one of the heavy monsters toward the younger man. Justin ducked and the Scrambler flew over his head and smashed into one of its compatriots that had come up from behind Justin. The flying machine, man, bird hodgepodge smashed into an almost identical twin and both of them exploded with a loud and very, very messy splat.

Ethan's corridor was as empty as Adam's; however it was longer and he arrived at the junction just as the goo-covered Cam and Justin both appeared. "Ew! What happened to you two?" Ethan said wrinkling his nose, which no one could see for his helmet; but his voice was teasing too.

"Scramblers." Justin said as he tried, with little success, to wipe the goo off of his armor.

"Eight of the buggers in my corridor." Cam said slightly breathless. "Thanks for the assist, Justin. I don't think I'd have managed without you."

"Hey, that's what teammates are for." Adam said with a smile in his voice and then the four men jumped when Billy exited the last corridor he'd taken and was totally covered with Scrambler goo from the top of his helmet to the tips of his white boots.

"This Scrambler goop sticks like glue." Billy complained as he reached for the toggles that would release his helmet and allow him to remove it.

"Don't, Billy!" Adam said and batted Billy's hands away from the latches. "Remember how the adults were taken over by the purple stuff before? Don't take your helmet off until we can get this stuff rinsed off."

"Very astute, Black Ranger." Redigore's mechanically altered voice issued from their wrist communicators. "But your team's miracle worker is already under my control!"

"No way!" Justin cried and stepped next to Billy.

"JUSTIN!" Billy cried as he launched himself from where he'd been staying hidden in the deep shadows of the junction of A-8 and the access room. Billy connected with Justin and kept him from the nearly identical twin that bore the Blue Ranger's likeness. "I've got Justin safe. Grab something and hold on!" Billy barked the order as he wrapped around Justin and grabbed onto a protruding handle in the floor. "Flush the system, Cyber-Cam!"

"System flushing!" Cyber-Cam answered with a jovial tone of voice. "Let's see how these ooze creatures like interacting with this little concoction of mine."

All of the Rangers could feel the vibrations as they were suddenly assaulted by a high-pressure wave of something that felt like hot water engulfed their positions and they were too busy trying not to be sucked away from the partial safety of their handholds by the tsunami-like wall of water, or whatever, that came jetting out of the eight hallways like the high pressure stream from a fire hose. The effects of the liquid substance on the fake Blue Genius Force Ranger and the ooze that clung to their bodies was impressive. The purplish ooze bubbled and then simply disintegrated in the liquid. The only thing that remained after the flow eased off into a trickle was the original Blue Ranger's uniform that the fake Ranger had been wearing.

"Good work to all of you upstairs!" Billy said crisply into his helmet's mic. "Counter charging the ionized, magnetized original sample of Ivan's Ooze, that I stored after our first encounter with that morphological being, was an excellent solution and the counter charge worked as I surmised it would upon contact with anything or anyone that had been affected. Haley, Trini, and Cyber-Cam; thank you. Apparently Redigore has upped the ante and decided to attack our base directly; something that has been unheard of this early in any conflict with the forces of evil. We're teleporting back to the Power Chamber, now."

The team disappeared in streams of light and materialized back in the huge main room of their base in mere seconds. Only to have the attack alarms start clamoring for attention before they could even fully coalesce.

Billy's eyes snapped to the large view screen that took up most of one wall while the support team, that was constantly growing, almost attacked the consoles to get information to the team.

"Redigore!" Billy snapped in anger as he watched the armored villain storm through downtown Angel Grove shooting beams of purplish black light from his hands. Anything or anyone the beams touched disappeared almost instantly. People were screaming and running in every direction, as Redigore seemed to just stroll casually down the street firing with no seeming purpose.

"Those beams are not destroying things, Billy." Hayley called out suddenly breaking the silence in the room. "From the readings I'm seeing the beams are teleporting anything they touch to another location; but I can't get a lock on where that location is."

"Then we need a way to find out and what better way than to be taken." Eric said as he looked around the room with a wicked smile on his face. "Wes and I have been in a very similar situation and I'm volunteering to let myself get taken by one of those beams so you can discover where those innocent civilians were taken and free them. I'll help if I can once I get there."

This announcement was greeted with a collective gasp by the room at large, even as a mischievous grin split Billy, Adam, and Wes's serious faces and transformed them into something between a serious frown and devilishly delight-filled smile. "Well he's not going to play by the rules; so why do we have to only react?" Adam asked as he looked at the shocked faces around the room.

"Adam is correct that Redigore is not following the usual measures for attacks that we're all accustomed to." Billy said his face still starting to transform from his previous frown/grin and into a full-blown smile of delight. "We have forever countered what evil does to our world in the past; perchance at this time it's the occasion to seize the initiative, as always erring toward discretion and preparation, of course."

"MORPHINOMINAL!" Justin almost screamed as Hayley smiled at the younger man in the room.

"We cannot escalate the battle terms first, Billy." Trini said sternly. "You know the rules of holding the powers as well as I do; if not better."

"We're not escalating the battle first, Trini." Billy responded calmly. "We are just using all available resources at our disposal to bring the conflict to a quick and, hopefully, beneficial end."

"You are escalating the battle with this plan you are brewing, Billy, and YOU KNOW IT!" Trini almost screamed in a near panicked anger that was rarely seen by anyone except for those that had known her well in life.

"THIS IS MY TEAM AND MY DECISION, TRINI!" Billy screamed at Trini and surprised all of them with the anger, remorse, and despondency in his voice. "Do you think I WANT to do this to one of our own? I don't ever want to have my hands be the one that ends the life of another Ranger; but it's the only way. Eric, Wes, teleport out and see if you can engage Redigore in battle and if he fires one of those beams at you, let it take you. We can trace the signals from your morpher/communicators from the Power Chamber. We'll be right behind you; I promise that."

Wes and Eric teleported out into the battle in twin streaks of white tinged with red halos. Justin, Cam, Ethan, and Adam looked from Billy to Trini and at everyone else in the room.

"Actually, they're not escalating things, Trini." Tommy said calmly as he stepped before her and looked directly into her eyes. "Redigore upped the battle when he sent those Scramblers into the tunnels. We're well within the rules to send one, two, or the entire team into his stronghold without fear of losing Earth's connection to the Morphin Grid."

"You cannot seriously be considering allowing Redigore to capture you, any of you!" Trini said with a near wail of despair. "He could corrupt all of you and Earth would be lost forever! You cannot take that chance!"

"Actually, we can." Billy said stepping forward and standing by Tommy's side. "This is a former Ranger, Trini Kwan. Someone that knows or has known the power coursing through their body to fight for this world and others of good out in the cosmos. Andros, Aurico, Eric, Tommy, TJ, Leo, Wes, Jason, Carter, and Cole teamed up to take out what was left of the Machine Empire and Serpenterra just three years ago. They took the battle to them on the moon and Earth still has access to the Morphin Grid. Now one of us, someone that's felt the power of the grid, has sided with the forces of evil. It will take more than just one mentor and one team to stop this person. This is going to take all of us that have held the mantle, working together, and doing things that normally wouldn't be allowed to keep our world safe from this ex-ranger. I have a theory of who this person is; but until I can confirm it, I will not give voice to my suspicions."

"Jason." Tommy, Justin, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya said at the same time.

"It's Jase, Billy." Tommy continued sadly, his shoulders falling into a dejected slump. "Between Cyber-Cam, Cam, Hayley, and Trini; they finally broke through the distortion field surrounding him. The powers that have been held by the person in Redigore's armor are red, green, and gold. I only know one person, on this world, that's held that combination of colors in his career as a Ranger. That's Jason Scott."

"Will that water stuff you flushed the tunnels with free him from Ivan's control?" Adam asked while Rocky shivered as he remembered their fight against that being.

"Negative." Billy replied sadly as he finally allowed his own hurt and sorrow to break through the shell he'd created around the heartbreak of knowing that Jason was the one involved in the conflict again. "The counter charged sample of Ivan's Ooze that was stored here in the Power Chamber was the only supply, Adam. The effects on the goo remnants from the Scramblers were not what it should have been. I surmised that whoever was in the armor of Redigore had been a red ranger or had recently used the red powers of the Morphin Grid, simply because of the name. We had cleared Tommy, Wes, Eric, and all the other former Red Rangers before this attack. Jason would not willingly work for evil; but he must be stopped at all costs. He knows too much about the grid and about this base to be allowed to continue to exist as Redigore. Either we return him to the Jason we know or we terminate him as we would have Zedd, Rita, Goldar, and all the others we've all fought over the years."

"You're talking about killing a man that's like a brother to you!" Trini uttered, horrified, into the shocked silence that Billy's words caused in the Power Chamber.

"I am well aware of that, Trini." Billy said sadly. "But I know, absolutely know, that Jason would rather die than to be a pawn of evil ever again. His experience with being used to almost kill Tommy and the other Turbo Rangers after being taken over by Maligore's evil on Murithanis devastated him and he made me promise that should that ever happen again, one of us would take him out of the conflict to keep our world safe. Jason knows more than he should, Trini. The Zordon Wave gave him more information on the Morphin Grid and the powers of a Ranger than he already had. It gave all of us that were still alive that information the second it touched each person that had been a Ranger at that time. How do you think Trey knew to start constructing the morphers for this team years before you yourself ever had an idea that you'd be called from the grid to mentor us?"

"Maligore, Ivan Ooze, and who knows what other evil Jason has resurrected to attack Earth." Rocky said with a shiver of fear showing in his normally jovial voice.

"Redigore." Justin breathed and then he could almost see the light bulbs of understanding forming over everyone else's heads. "He's under Maligore's control, again! He was unstoppable and almost trashed our entire team on Murithanis the first time. Now it's worse?"

"It's worse because somehow something of Maligore survived and has merged with the evil of Ivan Ooze." Tommy said as he watched the others that fought against Ivan shudder in remembrance of that conflict. "That evil is holding the one person on this world that means more to me than anything else and I for one am not going to let him destroy a man that means more to me than my own flesh and blood brother. I can morph with either the Ninjetti/Ninja powers or my Zeo powers; but I'm in this. If and I do mean IF he has to be taken down; I'll be the one to do it, Billy. Not you."

"No, Tommy." Billy said sternly. "I'm the leader of this team and the job is mine. Whether you or I like it or not; I'm on point this time and I have to be the one to make the decisions on this."

"I'm not trying to take away your job, Billy." Tommy said with concern, compassion, and understanding showing in his voice and on his face. "I'm trying to save you from having Jason's blood on your hands. You look up to him; always have. He's your brother just like he's mine; but I can do what you can't, Bill. I can't see you taking the life of the man you've loved, truly loved, for years, my friend. I was never blind yet you hid it very well until Jason hooked up with Emily. I know that his involvement with her is why you stayed on Aquitar for all those years, alone, and that you'd still be there if it hadn't become deadly for you to remain on that world."

"That's exactly why I have to do this!" Billy almost screamed at his friend in a voice few had ever heard. His voice was filled with remorse, pain, suffering, and anger too.

The argument was stopped by Trini's voice breaking over the two angry and hurting young men just below where her spirit resided in the Warp Tube in the middle of the Power Chamber's main control room. "Billy, this can wait. You must take your team out to the streets and attempt to contain, or run off, Redigore." Trini said sternly yet with sad eyes and a very tear-filled tone. "Wes and Eric are expecting the backup of your team and you cannot let them down."

"We're on our way." Billy said sternly as he turned from Tommy and joined his waiting team. "We'll finish this discussion when I return, Tommy. Until then, NO ONE and I mean absolutely NO ONE from this room is to join the battle unless we all fall to Redigore and are taken. Keep the Power Chamber, Trini, and yourselves safe as long as possible."

Billy and the rest of the Genius Force team teleported out to the battlefield and joined the two Silver Guardians as they battled Redigore. Just as they materialized, Wes was in the process of flying through the air. He was shocked when instead of the hard metal of a car, the rough bark of a tree, or the unyielding stone of a nearby building, his body impacted with that of another person. "Thanks for breaking my fall." Wes quipped as he saw another Ranger's uniformed hand in his peripheral vision.

"Not a problem, Wes." Billy replied as Wes rose from where the two of them had landed; almost fifteen feet from where their bodies had collided. "Just don't make a habit of it; you're not exactly a soft projectile to intercept."

"Nice catch, little boy Blue," Redigore rumbled from across the street, the obvious origin of the former Red Time Force Ranger's involuntary flight. He paused to blast a Mustang Shelby the previous owners had left stopped in the center of the nearby intersection in their panicked flight from his rampage. The black muscle car disappeared with a whoosh and a pop of rushing, displaced air. Eric was revealed where he had been crouched behind the 'stang's trunk, blaster at the ready. "Huh. Always wanted one of those!" Redigore broke into a fit of proprietary evil cackling. "AND one of THESE!" he continued, adjusting his aim to the center of the older Silver Guardian's chest. Eric tensed, awaiting the coming teleportation beam, but suddenly, Redigore whirled and fired under his own arm, as if reliving an old, bad western, and hit Wes dead center. With a sudden cry of shock, he was gone, and the teleportation displacement sucked Billy forward, making him stumble out of Redigore's sights just in time, as the next beam lanced just over his head and removed a mailbox from the sidewalk behind him.

Eric opened fire on Redigore, swearing a blue streak for Wes' disappearance. "Hey, ASSHOLE! Tampering with the mail is a FEDERAL OFFENSE!" He punctuated each syllable with a fresh bolt from his blaster. Redigore stumbled under the barrage of fire from the Quantum Ranger's Defender and staggered backwards. Ethan and Cam cheered, seeing their enemy stagger under the continual fire from their newly unleashed ally, Eric Myers. Both shared a look and, as one, launched into a flying attack that had their enemy flying away from them much like Wes had been sent soaring away from Redigore just minutes before.

"Take that, Red-dy-slime!" Ethan said as he and Cam connected with Redigore's metallic armored body.

"Wow! He can fly!" Cam said with a smile in his voice as Redigore was sent back over fifty feet from where their feet had impacted on his armored body. Both men clearly heard the crunch of bones breaking as Redigore impacted with devastating force into the side of the building that stopped his backwards flight.

"He's down!" Cam called and then was surprised when Justin's tackle took him to the ground and seconds later Adam's tackle of Ethan had both men falling on him and Justin's already prone bodies. "Don't celebrate too soon." Justin said as one of Redigore's teleportation beams flashed millimeters above Adam's helmet.

"Broke enough bones he shouldn't be standing." Cam wheezed as the others quickly got off the small Asian samurai turned Genius Force teammate. "Both Ethan and I heard them break. He should be down for the count."

"He's under the control of a force that will negate the damage as easily as our powers do." Billy told Cam over the helmet radios. "He will heal as quickly if not quicker than we do from battle damage and the properties of the armor he wears are still under investigation. Do not assume this to be like any other monster, evil genius, or adversary you have ever faced in the past. I also know the man under that control and he is tougher than most of us; except maybe for Tommy Oliver."

"Understood, Billy." Adam said as the four regrouped with Billy near where Redigore had impacted the building. "Distract and conquer?"

"How about divide and conquer, frog-man?" Redigore spat out as he shot out, not a teleportation beam, but something akin to a laser from the palm of his right hand.

Adam quickly tumbled out of the way of the attack; however he tumbled to his feet face to face with the one person in the world he never wanted to face while evil again. "Jason! Fight this!" Adam screamed as Redigore's left hand shot out and clenched around his throat. Adam fought for breath as Redigore's hand continued to tighten around his neck and then he was coughing and dragging oxygen into his starved lungs as he fell from the grasp of the evil being. He barely had a chance to realize that the reason he'd been dropped from Redigore's grip was that the point of Billy's renewed Power Lance was sticking out the front of Redigore's armored chest. Adam was teleported back to the Power Chamber before he had time to do more than attempt to quell the retching of his stomach. Gentle hands removed his helmet and held him while he lost his latest meal.

The whine of the teleporters broke the absolutely stunned silence of the Power Chamber and covered the sounds of Adam's nearly convulsive vomiting. Tommy was ready and caught Billy as he collapsed upon materialization.

"Easy, Bill." Tommy said as he held Billy's shaking body close. "Rocky, take off his helmet for me. He's going into shock!"

Rocky quickly joined Tommy and between the two they managed to get Billy to power down. Alpha produced a blanket and the two wrapped the now pale white and shaking Billy into it. Tommy took Billy into his arms and just held the quaking man as he shook with shock, tears, and pain. "It's going to get better, Bill." Tommy said softly as he continued to rub Billy's arms briskly through the blanket. "You're strong and you'll survive this. It was quick and nearly painless, little bro. He wouldn't have felt anything."

"It's too bad you don't have a reason to celebrate, Rangers." The evil malice filled voice of Redigore reverberated around the quiet grieving people in the Power Chamber. "I will avenge my death and you will feel the pain of death as I have just done."

Billy looked up at the now active view screen and screamed as he saw Jason Lee Scott standing without the armor of Redigore. The gaping hole in his chest and abdomen clearly visible as well as the beating of his partially exposed heart and the rising and falling of what remained of his left lung.

"Next time remember your anatomy, Wolfie blue." Redigore growled and then the screen went blank. "Oh and Christmas of Death, what you're holding will be MINE forevermore!"

Tommy was unprepared for Billy's faint and the sudden dead weight in his arms took both men to the ground. The others were too stunned to even realize that the leader of their group had fainted in shock until Rocky tore his gaze away from the now dead view screen and saw them on the ground.

"What the fuck was he talking about." Eric asked as he looked around at the stunned faces, including the visibly pale face of Trini as she floated in the large tube. "And please tell me that wasn't actually Jason standing there looking like a reject from a very bad horror movie."

"Oh gods!" Tommy said as his brain finally processed the words his stunned mind didn't even hear for the horror of the vision on the viewing screen. "He knows? How the hell could he know?"

"He knows what, Dr. O?" Ethan asked in confusion. "I couldn't make heads or tales out of what he was saying.

"He called me frog-boy, Billy wolfie blue, and I can only assume that Tommy is Christmas of Death; but I don't know why." Adam said in a very hoarse and gruff voice.

"I wore the uniform again, Adam." Tommy said with a very quite and stunned voice. "Black this time. I didn't just mentor the Dino Thunder Rangers, I fought with them."

"Christmas of Death; since death is usually portrayed as the color black." Tanya said as she and Aisha helped Tommy place Billy gently onto the floor so he could stand.

"He's claiming, Billy?" Rocky asked in a stunned voice. "He knows Billy will never join him willingly while he's evil. Hell he just stabbed him from behind and that should have killed him instantly with a wound like what showed up on the view screen. He can't be talking with that gaping hole in his chest."

"The powers of evil can do things with the human body that the Morphin Grid cannot, Rocky." Trini said sadly. "I cannot ascertain whether or not that was actually Jason in the armor today nor can I discern where that video transmission came from other than from someplace on the moon."

"Jason would pick the damned moon, wouldn't he?" Billy asked groggily and with angry venom in his voice, as he rose from where he lay on the floor. "Yes, he claimed me publicly, Rocky and yes Eric, that was Jason that looked like a very cheesy and bad horror show reject. However it was not our Jason or was it a real person. Just a simulacrum or clone formed from ooze that resembled Jason and his anatomy. My lance was covered with the same goo that a Scrambler would leave behind. Seeing the damage so vividly displayed is the reason I momentarily lost consciousness. Now has anyone tracked where Wes's morpher signal is issuing from?"

"It's coming from the quarry that's located between Angel Grove and Stone Canyon, Billy dude." Cyber-Cam said cockily. "That was an awesomely gruesome sight on the viewing screen; but you are correct in that it wasn't the person that was speaking. The lips never moved nor would the lungs fill properly when exposed as they were."

The Genius Force Rangers accompanied by the Red Ape, Yellow Bear, White Falcon, Yellow Turbo, and Quantum Rangers teleported to the quarry where they discovered an unconscious and demorphed Red Time Force Ranger almost completely buried under a small landslide of gravel from a newly exposed slide. The gently and carefully unburied the unconscious man and Cyber-Cam teleported him directly to the medical bay of the Power Chamber. The advanced medical machinery in the Power Chamber treated Wes's injuries and he regained consciousness just after the treatments were complete.

"He's as tough as he was on the moon." Wes said with a wince of pain and more than a little fatigue in his voice. "I don't think I wound up where the rest of the people and things that he slapped with that teleportation beam went. Battled him, but couldn't get a com signal through the blocking he had up. He had me dead to rights and could have killed me when my powers failed; but instead he just blasted the quarry wall and buried me in gravel and dirt. Someplace inside is still the Jason we know as a Ranger because I saw the struggle that went on when he went to blast me to bits."

"Jason is there; but will not be capable of breaking the hold Maligore has on him alone." Trini's voice issued from the speakers above the doorway to the medical area. "Maligore is an old evil and I'm sure that Jason is fighting as fiercely as he can; but it is a losing battle. Lerigot and the Liarian people imprisoned him because his evil could not be destroyed with even the combined powers of an entire world."

"Then we will have to find a way to do what they could not." Billy said with determination. "Wes was scanned again when he was teleported into the Power Chamber wasn't he?"

"He's clean, Billy." Cyber-Cam said, for once quietly and respectfully. "Scanned for everything, including diseases he might have been infected with before allowing him to materialize here."

"Good. Now that we know who and what we are fighting it is time to start developing ways to counteract what has been done to Jason, the Astro Rangers, and the ones that were just taken from Angel Grove." Billy said with grim determination.

"How do you know the Astro Rangers are under this evil, Billy?" Adam asked with a stunned tone of voice.

"Because the clone of Jason was standing in the main cargo bay of the Megaship Mark II, Adam." Billy said with an angry tone of voice. "I would surmise that Jason or one of the Astro Rangers are the ones responsible for the theft of the Pink and Yellow morphers for Genius Force. Their corruption is a double threat due to the fact that Karone, former Queen of Evil as Astronema was with them when they visited Aquitar before going to Triforia. Zane, Andros, Karone, Ashley, Cassie, TJ, Carlos, and possibly the Phantom Ranger as well are now working for Redigore. I will not call him by his name until Maligore and Ivan Ooze's evil has been purged from him and he is once again the man I know and… and… and love." Billy's voice broke when he spoke of his love for Jason. Tommy simply clasped Billy on the shoulder and smiled grimly.

"Then we have some brainstorming and work to do." Tommy said with an understanding yet determined tone of voice. "He'd not leave one of us to be tortured by what evil made us do and we won't leave him with that either."

"It would help to have a sample of the ooze so we could determine the properties of it." Hayley said with a wistful tone of voice. "That would give us a leg up on the research and development of a counter agent."

"Then we have that sample and possibly more than we'll ever need." Billy said with a wicked smile starting to form on his face. "Thank you, Jason. You've given us the means to free you and everyone else, my friend."

"HUH?" Rocky asked with a confused look on his face. "When did he do that and how?"

"Billy's lance." Adam gulped to keep from again retching where he stood. "Billy said it was covered in the goo we get when we demolish a Scrambler in a fight. There should be enough covering his lance that we can sample to see what the properties are."

"Then let's get to work!" Ethan and Justin said with enthusiasm. "The sooner we get some answers about what this goo can and can't do to people; the sooner we're one step closer to defeating Redigore and getting Jason back to normal."

The group all trouped back into the main room of the Power Chamber and Billy called for his Power Lance. He held the weapon steady while Hayley and, surprisingly, Tommy and Ethan took samples from different parts of it. The samples were collected, Billy powered down, and the group all supposedly asleep when Cyber-Cam detected the signal of someone using the front doors of the Power Chamber to exit the building. He didn't send out an alarm; but activated the viewing screen and recorded Billy walking straight up to Redigore, being embraced in a fierce yet tender hug, and then being teleported away. Cyber-Cam noted that Billy's morpher was not present when he scanned for it and he also detected the signature of the morpher residing on a table next to where Tommy Oliver slept on unaware that he would once again be called to serve the forces of good. This time at the request of William, Billy, Cranston and the gift of the morpher that rested on the small table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Chapter XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: This wasn't how I'd envisioned this chapter going; but this is how my muse churned it out. I apologize for the long delay in posting a new chapter in this tale; but I've had a huge case of writer's block for almost three weeks now. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of how my muses twisted this chapter into what it's become. Thanks, Pern.


	6. Chapter 6 Evil in Control

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** First of all, a big thank you to everyone that's left a review for this tale. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it. The writer's block seems to be gone, for now. This tale is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. To fit this story into the Power Ranges timeline, the odd chapters are happening in the years 2005; during the time all of us were watching SPD save the future. This chapter, again, jumps back into the past. Jason, Andros, Zhane, Karone, TJ, Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley are onboard the Megaship Mark II and have been smeared with some of the ooze from Ivan Ooze's remains that were frozen on Ryan's Comet. Now we see what happens next. Enjoy everyone and as always, please leave a review to let me know what you think of this missive. Pern. Now onto the story!

**Chapter Six – Evil In Control**

Jason again awoke on the bed in the small medical bay of the Megaship Mark II. All of the Astro Rangers and Karone where there chatting quietly as he slowly returned to consciousness.

"Come on, Jason." Zhane said as he slapped Jason's face gently. "Wake up and join us. The scans are finished and everything's fine."

"You're sure, Zhane?" Jason asked groggily. "I can't remember what I was dreaming; haven't been able to for about six years now."

"The scans show nothing abnormal, Jason." Andros said calmly. "It's morning, ship's time, and you need to eat. The scans took longer than we anticipated. Sorry."

"Not a problem, Andros." Jason said rising slowly from the bed and sitting up on the side. He slid from the bed and used the bed to steady his wobbly legs until he was able to stand on his own. "Food sounds like a good idea. I'm weaker than I've ever been after one of my blackouts."

"Food first and then by the time you're done eating we should be on Triforia." Andros said with a smile. "DECA ejected the canisters containing Ivan Ooze's remains into the event horizon of a nearby black hole about an hour ago. He's take care of and I've gotten reports that Scorpina didn't escape the wave. According to my sources she's living quietly on Triforia."

"So it's done then?" Jason asked with a relieved sigh. "It'll be good to see Trey again. Maybe a few days on Triforia and then a stop by Aquitar to see Billy before going home and truly retiring the morpher once and for all."

Andros and Zhane helped Jason to the galley and the whole group ate a small meal as Jason ate. About an hour later DECA announced that they'd reached Triforia and received permission to land. Andros took the controls and landed the large ship perfectly. The all walked out of the ship and were greeted with smiles from Trey, Lord of Triforia and the ruler of that world now.

"Greetings Rangers." Trey said formally as the Astro Rangers disembarked before Karone and Jason. "To what happy circumstance does my world, Triforia, owe the pleasure of your company?"

"We bring a friend on a visit, nothing more Trey." Andros replied with a smile as he shook the hand of the young Triforian Lord. "A fellow Ranger accompanied us on a self-imposed mission to make sure that nothing of the evils that world had faced survived the Zordon Wave's cleansing touch."

"Ahh, would that be… " Trey stopped talking as Jason walked slowly down the ramp leaning heavily on Karone. "Jason!" Trey exclaimed in shock and some horror as Jason went to his knees at the bottom of the ramp. Before any of the others could move, Trey was at Jason's side and helping the weak man to his feet. "What have you done to yourself, my friend?"

"The very thing you, Zordon, and Billy all three warned me to never do again, Trey." Jason replied with a grim smile on his tired face. "I morphed along with all the other reds on the moon about a week ago now. Just a little tired from that; but Ivan Ooze is gone; consigned to the depths of a black hole. He's the last one, with the fact that Zordon's wave got Scorpina too. Nothing we've fought can ever come back to haunt us like the Machine Empire ever again."

"Foolish man." Trey chided with a concerned and friendly tone. "Well, you've come to the right place to regain your strength, my friend. Triforia has recovered from the depredations of evil that besieged our world before Zordon's sacrifice. You and the Space Rangers are welcome to stay as long as needed for you to regain your health again, Jason Scott of Earth."

"Is the former Queen of Evil, Astronema, welcome as well, Trey?" Jason asked and then smiled as Karone stepped forward and bowed slightly before stepping back to Zhane's side. Both Andros and Zhane placed a protective arm over her shoulders.

"Karone, sister to Andros and betrothed of Zhane of Kevoria, is welcome on Triforia at anytime, Jason." Trey replied with a warm smile at Karone. "Astronema would not be as welcome as Karone is."

"Just checking, Trey." Jason said with a smile that turned into a grimace of pain and his chuckle of laughter was never uttered instead a groan escaped his lips and he slowly collapsed heavily onto Trey.

Trey accepted the burden of Jason's larger frame without any outward sign that he was straining to hold the much heavier built man upright. He placed his arm around Jason's waist and motioned to one of the retainers that waiting patiently a few feet from where he'd greeted his visitors so warmly. "Bring Dr. Trias to the palace, Trinos."

"At once, Trey." The lad called Trinos said and scurried off in a ground-eating run that only the young can accomplish with ease.

"Andros, would you and Zhane assist me in getting Jason into the transport? I want my father, Dr. Trias, to examine him and determine just how much damage he did by morphing to help stop the resurrection of Serpenterra." Trey's tone wasn't a question but an order. Between the Astro Rangers and Trey they got Jason's nearly limp body into the lead waiting transport. Zhane and Andros quickly had to jump away from the vehicle for as soon as Trey and Jason were aboard it took off in the direction of the city that could be seen in the distance.

"Rangers." An older well-dressed Triforian gentleman said as he stepped from the group of retainers Trey had brought to greet them. "We have other transports available for your use. Lord Trey didn't mean for you to have to walk into the city as commoners do. This way, if you will. I am Tri-ala, Lord Trey's majordomo. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet all of you."

"Thank you, Tri-ala." Andros replied with a worried tone and a frown in the direction of the transport that had already disappeared. "Jason shouldn't have morphed if this is the consequences. I am almost positive there was another Ranger that could have taken his place."

"That would have been Rocky DeSantos." Carlos said with a smile, as the others looked at him in partial shock. "Rocky was Adam's best friend and he was the one that took Jason's place when he left for that huge peace summit in Switzerland. Justin was the one that took Rocky's place as first the Blue Zeo Ranger and then became the Blue Turbo Ranger when Rocky injured his back just before all the mess on Murithanis. What? I studied the records in the Power Chamber. I wanted to know what to expect after being chosen by Adam to replace him."

"Leave it to Carlos to give us some obscure bit of information that none of us ever expected to hear coming from him." Andros said with a smile as the group followed Tri-ala into the waiting transports and were quickly in the palace awaiting word on Jason's condition.

Dr. Trias did all the scans on Jason that he could think of and he was still puzzled by the young man's continued dilapidation. _"He shouldn't be this weak and drained just from morphing. All of the scans show that the damage to his system from the Gold Powers was repaired years ago. What is going on and how can I help this brave alien to survive?"_ Trias thought to himself. "Rest and sleep, Jason of Earth. The scanning may take a while to complete." Trias said with a kind and gentle tone.

Jason drifted into a fitful sleep and the scans Trias was running registered the changes in Jason's brainwaves and thought patterns seconds before Jason's powerful body surged upright and Dr. Trias found himself face to face with an old evil; one that even the wave of Zordon's sacrifice wouldn't have purged, just weakened.

"Maligore!" Dr. Trias spat in Jason's face. "You will not have this one, by all that is Triforia you will be defeated once and for all!"

"You are wrong, former holder of the Gold Ranger's powers." Jason's voice issued from his throat and his mouth moved appropriately for the words, but the voice was that of Maligore and not the baritone of Jason Scott. "This one, and one other of his world was marked by my evil. When the time is right I will call the other marked one to me. I will be reborn and I will rule all the galaxies at that time!" Jason, or rather Jason under Maligore's control, shot his arm out and slammed Trey's father in the face with a powerful punch. Dr. Trias crumpled to the ground; but not before he'd sealed the room and flooded it with a powerful sleep gas that would render even the Maligore controlled Jason completely unconscious. As the gas flooded the room alarms began ringing in the palace. When the room opened to the worried Trey, accompanied by the Astro Rangers and Karone, they were stunned when they found Dr. Trias awake and already working over Jason's unconscious form.

"Quarantine the Astro Rangers, Trey!" Dr. Trias commanded and before any of them could utter a protest they were surrounded by heavily armed palace guards and their morphers were quickly removed and placed in Trey's hands. The group of seven were taken into another room and monitored closely.

"What is going on, father?" Trey asked in a stunned and shocked manner as the Space Rangers, along with Karone were confined in a nearby room and sealed inside.

"Maligore has control of this one, son." Trias said with a bitter worried tone. "Look at the scans for yourself. When Jason becomes unconscious in sleep Maligore takes over his body."

Trey looked at the scans and then turned to his father and asked quietly, "Can he be freed without the intervention of the Liarians?"

"Possibly, but he should have been freed by the wave from Zordon's sacrifice, unless that wave never passed through him. I don't know how long that vile creature has been festering in his mind, son. There might be nothing left of the Earther you know by now. It might be kinder, for all concerned, if we terminate the evil here and now."

"I will not kill a former Power Ranger and friend without just cause, father!" Trey said with a stern and commanding tone. "Do you forget that I wouldn't even be standing here whole and in possession of our ancestral powers were it not for the unconscious man on the table before you? He almost sacrificed his own life to keep the Gold Powers safe!"

"I can never forget that, son." Trias said in a sad forlorn tone as he continued scanning Jason's brainwaves. "However, Maligore is in complete control of this beings unconscious mind. Once he breaks this brave man in his dreams, the world he chooses to attack and start his reign of terror upon will need Rangers, Trey. Zordon was one of the last Masters of the Grid. His sacrifice means that there is no one living that can come to that planet's aid once the attacks begin. I do not doubt that the man lying here, as if dead, fights even now. The scans tell it all; but his mind is only so strong and it is weakening. Maligore is winning, Trey."

"Then the Astro Rangers and Karone are already corrupted, father." Trey sighed in resignation and then looked up with determination in his eyes. "Jason told me that they've already ventured to Ryan's Comet and the remains of Ivan Ooze. Supposedly, he's been consigned to the depths of a black hole; however I now believe that all or part of that evil being resides inside the ship that sits just outside our gates. I will contact the council and see how they wish to deal with this rising threat to the peace of the galaxies."

"No, son, do not." Trias said with a sigh. "You know what the council will decide and I, like you, cannot condone taking innocent lives on a maybe. The council will order you to destroy not only your friend, the man that saved your powers and life; but the lives of the others as well. The worlds of good owe Andros of Kevoria a debt we can never repay for following Zordon's last order and destroying him. I will not be the one responsible for the death of our savior and I do not want that burden placed on your young shoulders either."

"Then what can we do, father?" Trey asked, his confusion showing clearly in his tone and the questioning look he gave his father.

"Tell me of the one that saved our world, son." Trias said with a kind tone yet it held a hint of command as well. "Go deep into the powers and tell me of the one that kept them for you."

Trey relaxed slightly. He sat the morphers he still held in his hand down on a nearby countertop and then he sat in a chair near Jason's bedside. Trey closed his eyes and did as he'd been taught. He allowed the Gold Powers to wash over his body and mind. When his eyes opened up minutes later, they were not the dark colored ones that normally belonged to Trey of Triforia, but they were completely obscured with a shimmering glowing golden sheen. "He is a fighter, a protector, and honorable. He was terrified when the powers were leaving and destroying his body, yet he still fought to keep his teammates safe and would have given his life for any of them. The one called Tommy resides in his heart and soul, as does the one called Billy. Billy's residence is older and more complicated while Tommy's presence is just as complex. He was reluctant to walk away from Zordon and once his friends accepted the burden placed upon them he's fought the forces of evil ever since. The mantle of leader bore heavily on this one; but he never shirked his duty and fought as one of honor does. He was saddened to leave, but was also hesitant to return too. It seems that he wasn't only called back by the powers, but by a desperate need from the two held closest in his heart and soul. That need is what brought him to the gold powers not the call of the power, but the need of his soul bound mates for his presence. Ahh, that is the problem and the dilemma that would have kept him from the powers call. Earthers are not tolerant of the myriad of combinations that can be found in the physical expression of love and desire. His desire, his love, for the two held so deeply in his soul is not returned and he was fearful of returning to them and having to tell them of his desire for them both. He has tried to turn that toward the females of his world, yet is unsuccessful at keeping a relationship as more than friends. Maligore is strong in him; I can feel it through the resonance of the powers. He still fights; but is growing weaker after every confrontation. He will soon succumb to the constant bombardment and twisting of his subconscious mind; but the remnants of the powers he's held will sustain him through the possession. He will remain yet unable to do more than gather his strength for futile attempts at breaking through the control to beg for help."

Trey slumped deeply in the chair and then recovered slowly as his father looked on with a worried frown. "That is all I could garner without joining with his mind, father." Trey said quietly. "Was it enough to give you, and us, any help in dealing with this problem we've discovered?"

"Some, son." Trias said with a sly grin slowly forming on his face. "Which of the two is held the deepest in his soul, the one called Tommy or the one called Billy?"

"Both are there and equal, father." Trey replied with a smile starting to spread over his face. "But the one called Billy is closer than the one called Tommy. Billy is living on Aquitar. They call him the Peacemaker."

"Perfect!" Trias said with a large smile replacing the grin on his face. "Contact Aquitar and request the presence of the Peacemaker, son. Then we must let the drama of whatever Maligore is planning play out; but we can take steps to insure that it doesn't succeed. Maligore gloated of another from this one's world that he'd touched. He must have what little of his being that one holds before he can come fully into power over Jason's mind and body. We must keep Jason and the Astro Rangers here until after the Peacemaker returns to Aquitar and they cannot suspect his presence. I would also venture to guess that the secret project you are working on for the council will be compromised just before they leave too."

"The morphers for the foretold team of Rangers?" Trey said quietly to his father. "What would Maligore need with power morphers?"

"Maligore, in his own body, would have no need for the morphers, son; however, he's not in his own body; but that of someone that's held powers. Having a connection to the grid will only strengthen Jason, not Maligore; but that evil one won't want any team that faces him to be at full strength. He fears the powers of the Grid and knows that it can destroy him completely." Trias answered and then injected Jason with a very powerful sedative combined with a drug that would completely paralyze his body. "This will keep Maligore from using this brave man until we have completed our plans and the meeting with the Peacemaker. Say nothing to the Astro Rangers and just apologize to them for their confinement. I too believe that they are under Maligore's evil control, somehow. But we can keep them ignorant of the Peacemaker's visit and Jason's true ailment for a short time. After that we play dumb and see what happens once Jason is released from his induced paralysis."

"All right, father." Trey said in resignation and bowed slightly as he left the room. "I will accede to your wishes for now; but you will give me the whole tale once we've played our parts to the fullest."

"Once the Megaship has lifted from Triforian soil; I will give you the full plan that's forming in my mind, son." Trias said with a large gleeful smile on his face.

Trey left the room, contacted Aquitar, requested Billy's presence for a conference, and then released the imprisoned Astro Rangers and Karone with multiple apologizes. Trias informed the concerned people that had brought Jason to Triforia of his fake condition and that it had to do with the damage to his body from holding the Gold Ranger's powers. Trias was adamant that Jason would recover in time and that his friends should remain on Triforia until he recovered. Andros and the others agreed to stay, as Trias knew they would, and they were given large comfortable rooms in which to await his recovery.

While Trey kept TJ, Andros, Karone, Zhane, Carlos, and Cassie busy with small everyday emergencies and one of them sat at Jason's side, always. Trias was meeting, in secret, with Billy Cranston.

"He's losing the battle, Peacemaker." Trias said with a very sad and concerned tone of voice. "You and one other are the two he holds the dearest. Can you not see your way to helping someone that would give his life for yours?"

"I will assist in anyway I can, Trias." Billy answered with a grim tone and a stern expression on his face. "But I will not nor can I ever believe that Jason cares for me as more than the brother he's always seemed. What do you need me to do, Trias?"

"I would use our advanced medical facilities and make a fully grown clone of you, Peacemaker." Trias said with caution and need showing deeply in his voice. "This clone will return to Aquitar and take your place while you remain here on Triforia. I believe that your clone will be abducted from Aquitar the second the Megaship lifts from their appointed stop on that lovely, yet harmful to a Triforian, world. Since the clone will be grown with Triforian technology, it will not survive long in the conditions on Aquitar; however it will survive long enough to be taken, as you would surely be, and replaced with a clone of Maligore's evil making. Having your clone on the Megaship will give us access into the schemes that Maligore's evil is constructing as well as a way to trace that evilest of beings location. Please, Peacemaker. I know you are against the cloning process; but this is the only way to keep you safe and give the forces of good a chance to anticipate the movements of Maligore and time for us to prepare properly any world that he chooses to attempt to conquer."

"I cannot allow you to clone me." Billy stated with a heated and angry tone of voice. "It is against every rule of the scientist and every belief I hold, Trias. There must be another answer. One that you haven't thought of yet!"

"I have run every test I can think of on Jason, Peacemaker." Trias said calmly yet forcefully. "I cannot determine how Maligore is controlling the Space Rangers of Kevoria and Earth, but I can guarantee that control is there somehow. One of them never leaves his side and they rarely allow Trey to sit with him for any length of time. I do not know how it is on your original homeworld, Peacemaker, but on Triforia Trey would be the one that should be sitting with Jason, not virtual strangers as clearly the Space Rangers are to him."

"Jason makes friends very quickly, Lord Trias." Billy replied with a small distant smile of remembrance on his face and his voice was filled with the strength of his memories. "He was my first, only, friend until we were both pulled into Kimberly's orbit. Trini and Zack weren't far behind. Tommy's arrival and his almost instant, deep connection to Jason had him included the second Rita's evil spell was dissipated from his body and mind. We're all close, but my needed isolation on Aquitar has strained the bonds of that friendship greatly. I cannot fathom Jason ever harming me in anyway; but after speaking with Tommy, Adam, Kat, and Tanya after the confrontation with Maligore on Murithanis I am beginning to wonder if perhaps Jason wasn't completely lost the second he and Kimberly were touched by the fiery lava of Maligore's prison."

"He is in there, Billy, Peacemaker." Trias said with compassion. "Trey took the risk went deep into the Gold Powers, so deep that he could have been lost forever. Will you not take that same chance and allow this plan to be accomplished. Your knowledge would only be used against any world that Maligore chooses to start his reign of terror on. I have a suspicion that world will be your homeworld of Earth, Peacemaker. Please, this is our only chance of getting someone onto the Megaship and monitoring Maligore's plans. Once the clone is taken from Aquitar, you can return to that world and monitor the clone's progress. Maligore will completely overtake Jason within the week. Trey says the powers he's held will sustain him but not allow him to flush that evil being from him. Jason needs you, Billy. Will you turn your back on someone you still acknowledge as a brother?"

"I am against this plan of yours, Trias." Billy sighed in resignation. "However, I cannot seem to find another alternative that will not put everyone at risk. Very well, you may take the cells needed to produce a clone. I will remain here, in seclusion, while the clone returns to Aquitar in my place. But if that simulacrum is not spirited away from Aquitar as the Megaship leaves that world; then the clone will be destroyed. I have been cloned once before, by Lord Zedd, and I do not wish to have a twin running around ever again."

"Well start the process in the morning, Billy." Trias said with a small understanding smile on his face. "I can arrange for you to see your friend, brother, if you'd like. Jason has successfully kept Maligore from his waking mind and thoughts for a long time now. I am positive that one his drug-induced paralysis is lifted that he and the Astro Rangers will leave Triforia within days. But I am also positive that Jason will hide your visiting him here deep behind the wall the powers have constructed for his mind to remain behind when Maligore takes over."

"I will have to forego the pleasure of a reunion at this time, Trias." Billy said sternly and with a bit of trepidation hidden in his voice. "For your plan, that you've just barely outlined for me, to work; Jason must not be aware that I was ever physically present on Triforia. My departure from Aquitar for your world was kept secret from everyone but the Aquitain Rangers. They will cover my absence with a tale of an off world peace mission and no one will be the wiser, which includes Jason and the Astro Rangers. If your suspicions are correct, and Earth is the next target then I will monitor the clone from Triforia while assisting Trey with the construction of the morphers the foretold team will need to combat this menace. I can only hope that whomever becomes the mentor for this team that they choose those that have experience for Jason is not one to pit a team of inexperienced Rangers against."

"The mentor hasn't even been considered yet, Peacemaker." Trias answered with a smile. "I believe your name is at the top of that very exclusive list, if I remember correctly from the last meeting I attended."

"I would refuse, Trias, my friend." Billy replied with a frown of worry. "I have no desire to again immerse myself in the fight and truly prefer to negotiate for a peaceful resolution before fighting can even start. However, Maligore and those evil beings like him are not usually open to peaceful resolutions and keeping worlds safe from their influence is paramount to the council. In a case such as this might become, I will accept the council's wish for me to mentor a Ranger team."

"I would prefer that you lead the team, Billy." Trey said as he entered the secluded office his father was using for his meeting with the original Blue Ranger. "His knowledge of Jason combined with someone that fought off Maligore on Murithanis would be invaluable to the world that vile being chooses to subjugate."

"I don't know that I wish to step back into the role of a Ranger, Trey." Billy said a little reluctantly. "However, if it is required of me; I will. Who is on the short list for being a mentor for this foretold team, Trias?"

"You, Trini Kwan, Andros, and Demitria." Trias answered with a smile. "Since you've already said that you wouldn't wish the role of a mentor; then Trini would be next. Would you have a problem working with her?"

"No, no problems at all, Trias." Billy replied with a smile. "I would enjoy seeing my friend again; but I am sure that those of my former teammates and colleagues that knew her would be most shocked to find out that she still lives through the Grid."

"Those that have been accepted by the powers always pass into the Grid, Peacemaker." Trias said with a small smile for his son's surprise. "Yes, Trey. When this mortal body is no more, my spirit will pass into the Morphin Grid. That is how the Grid is powered and sustained, son, those that pass before support and provide the power for the next generation to come. Unless your spirit is utterly destroyed, it will find it's way to the grid without assistance. Zordon's spirit is slowly, even now, seeping into the grid and by the time Jason, controlled by Maligore, starts his attacks on his chosen world; Zordon's wisdom and memories will be available to the mentor of that team."

"Good." Billy said with a respectful but final tone of voice. "Trias. The journey from Aquitar was tiring and you will have me, if I know you, in the medical facilities before the suns rise in the morning. I'd like to peek in on Jason; without him knowing and then rest. How long before the simulacrum is grown and ready to take my place?"

"Three days, Billy." Trey said with a smile for stepping on his father's toes. "Please, come with me. It is about time I booted the Astro Rangers out of Jason's room and sat with him for a bit. I will sneak you in after whichever of them has left the room. Father is keeping Jason's body paralyzed with drugs, for now. Maligore is strong and Jason has put on even more muscle mass since I last saw him. It's for his protection as much as it is for our protection. I will appreciate your help working on the morphers for this team. The plans I have for their construction is crude. Hopefully you'll be able to help me make more sense of it."

"Those plans are not crude by Earth standards, Trey." Billy said with a teasing tone and a smile of understanding for the Triforian he readily called friend. "I drew up those plans over seven years ago. It combines the morpher with the communicator for making a more compact and easily concealed unit."

"I know, Bill." Trey said with a smile. "I just had to tease you slightly about it."

Trey kicked Zhane out of Jason's room and then Billy was snuck in as a technician to take blood samples. The two friends of the helpless man on the bed sat by his side and talked quietly. "Father has him drugged into total unconsciousness, Bill. The plus side to these drugs is that Maligore is also silenced so Jason is resting and his mind is recovering from the long battle he's put up. A lesser man would have already succumbed. He was and is a fighter, Bill. We will succeed in removing Maligore."

Billy touched Jason's shoulder and then smiled down into the closed eyes. "He's always fought for good, Trey. God it hurts to see him lying here and looking so still and lifeless; but as you said, keeping Maligore from gaining anymore control and allowing Jason a chance to recoup from the constant barrage of evil's twisted and distorted dreams will only strengthen his will to continue the battle."

"Yes, I know, Bill." Trey said sadly. "I know as much of Jason as you do, my friend. He kept my powers safe at nearly the cost of his own life. He is honorable, trustworthy, protective, and cunning. He will assist us in breaking Maligore's hold over him, as he is able. Right now though, you should leave and rest. Father will have you up long before the first sun of my world rises."

"You should rest as well, Trey." Billy said with a smile. "You look to have been run ragged over the last few hours."

"I will rest once the Megaship has lifted from Triforian soil and left our solar system, Billy." Trey replied with a worried and serious frown marring his still young looking and handsome face. "Once any trace of Maligore's corruption is off the surface of my home; then I can rest. Until then I will remain vigilant."

"Not too vigilant, Trey." Billy chided as he and the Triforian Lord left Jason's room. "Andros, Zhane, and the other Astro Rangers are not fools. They will smell this trap coming parsecs away if you aren't careful. They will take any completed morphers you're working on. You need to start becoming lax and forgetful as if the strain of remaining on guard is telling on you. Allow them to steal the morphers, Trey. The power is never in that device, but infused directly into the person that will wield it. The morpher only buffers the massive power of the grid to something a humanoid body can withstand."

"All right, Peacemaker." Trey sighed and then smiled. "Delphine told me that you were sneakier than any thought possible. Now I see that for myself. I am pleased and delighted to be able to say that you are my friend and I would absolutely hate to call one with your cunning and intelligence, enemy."

"We shall see what comes of this drama your father is going to be starting us on, Trey." Billy said with a smile as they entered the small, secluded apartment that Billy always occupied on his visits to Triforia. "I do not have all the parameters and I don't think your father does either. But he is correct in that I possess too much information about the grid and it's workings. Should evil ever overtake me, any team that faced off against that knowledge would have, as we say on Earth, a snowball's chance in Hell of surviving."

"I don't know what a snowball or hell are, Billy." Trey said with a slight shudder of something that was close to terror passing through him. "I do know that should you ever be turned, corrupted, or possessed by evil that we would be in for an extremely bleak future. I do not even wish to think about that, Bill. This plan of father's had better work or we will all find ourselves engrossed in a battle to keep Earth and Triforia safe from Maligore."

"Time will tell, Trey." Billy said with a slight smile on his face then a huge yawn destroyed the smile completely. "Only time will tell what the future will hold for us all."

"Sleep well, Peacemaker." Trey said as he left the apartment and retired to his own quarters for the evening.

Three days later, Trias, Trey, and Billy watched the small, fast ship that had brought Billy to Triforia depart for Aquitar with a full-grown clone of Billy on board. That same afternoon saw Trias stop giving Jason the drugs that had kept him paralyzed and in a coma-like state. Three days later, a much-rejuvenated Jason and the Astro Rangers lifted off in the Megaship with a stated destination of Aquitar and a visit with Billy Cranston. The three co-conspirators watched the passage of the large zord/ship until it was out of Triforian space completely.

"Billy, the clone will be taken." Trey said as the three sat in his father's huge study and conversed quietly. "Once out of Triforian space, the Megaship went to emergency speed on course for Aquitar. Besides that, the Pink and Yellow morphers were taken just minutes before the ship lifted off. I would say that Cassie, Ashley, and Karone were the culprits, but I cannot be sure for I wasn't in the lab when they were taken."

"It was the three women, Trey." Trias said with a sad smile on his face. "Councilwoman Triana was giving them a tour of the labs today. The morphers were there before they entered the room and then they weren't there after they left. The trackers show that much. The tracking devices were found about an hour ago hidden in the purse of an unsuspecting woman in the bazaar. The morphers weren't there, just the trackers you installed in them."

"I don't see how you can still believe that the clone of me won't be discovered, Trias." Billy worried fretfully. "It wasn't developed enough to transfer more than basic knowledge into. That won't fool Jason at all. That clone won't know him or know of our true relationship."

"That is the plan, Peacemaker." Trias said with a smile. "Maligore believes that Jason wishes to have a relationship with you and or Tommy. Evil has no concept of how love works; so love equates to sex or pleasure. Jason, under Maligore's control will use sex and pleasure to seduce your clone, Billy. That will make the clone cling to him and do things that would anathema to your nature; however, Maligore doesn't know this. Jason will keep his thoughts away from what would tip his hand. Trey discovered the wall the powers had constructed in Jason's mind. This Grid powered block keeps Jason's mind safe while Maligore bombards only what Jason can't protect, his unconscious thoughts. All of us have dreams that we would wish to happen; however our conscious mind keeps our dreams in check, so to speak. Maligore has seen, in Jason's dreams, his desire for both you and Tommy; however Maligore has no concept that Jason knows that you three can never be more than friends. Excuse me, Trey, I apologize to both you and Billy. Not friends, but family; brothers of the heart and soul. Maligore is convinced that Jason can't succeed with a relationship with a female because of this need for you or Tommy. That is what we're going to use against him. Maligore will give Jason his dreams and Jason will play along, Billy. I'm sure you know that he can and he has engaged in relations with both sexes. From what Trey found out while deep in the Gold Powers; Jason enjoys the attentions of both sexes for pleasure. That is common here on Triforia and other worlds, but I'm not sure how it is perceived or spoken of on Earth."

"It is called bisexuality, Trias." Billy said with an easy smile. "I've know since Jason and I went thru puberty that he likes both men and women. We were so close that we never kept secrets from each other. I think Tommy knows or suspects; but he, like me, accepts Jason for Jason, he's simply our brother."

"Good, then we have our temporary spy in the enemy camp." Trias said with a smile. "The device that will allow you to see, hear, and feel what the clone is feeling has been calibrated for you, Billy. I would suggest that you try it now before the Megaship can reach Aquitar. You need to become accustomed to seeing, hearing, and feeling things that aren't what you're actually seeing with your own senses."

"I've used something similar on Aquitar, Trias." Billy said with a smile. "Their entertainment is visual, mental, aural, and tactile; so I've had experience with dealing with intangible thoughts and such already. I surmise that your connection device works along the same principles as the Aquitain entertainment bands only with a much improved range of transmission."

"It was originally adapted from one of those devices, Billy." Trey said with smile. "Triforian technology has increased the range greatly; however you and I will be traveling in Pyramidas much of your time in contact with the clone. The range is best within six light years so I hid a tracking device inside of Alpha Seven's right foot. That will give us a good idea of their location and I can shield Pyramidas from any scans the Megaship is capable of doing for us; including psychic scans. Even the clone's connection to the device you'll be using won't be revealed by a psychic scan. The clone posses the configuration and brain patterns you yourself do. Any scans they do will only reveal your normal brain patterns."

"Good." Billy said with a smile. "I wanted to much to look into Pyramidas' controls and operation systems when Jason had access to your zord, Trey. Forgive me if I as innumerable questions as we travel around the cosmos shadowing the Megaship until Maligore picks his world to conquer."

"I just got a flash transmission from Aquitar, Sire." Tri-ala said as he opened the door to Trias' office and entered quietly.

"What did the transmission say, Tri-ala." Trey asked with a worried frown on his face.

"Delphine regrets to inform the worlds that are allied with Aquitar that the Peacemaker has decided to return to the world the bore him. He has departed Aquitar aboard the Megaship of the Astro Rangers approximately two Aquitain minutes ago. The Peacemaker promises he will be available for any negotiations that need conducted for Aquitar or other worlds; however, he also asks our indulgence because he wished to return home after seeing an old friend and hearing how much he was missed by them. Delphine ends the transmission with the words; "The Peacemaker will be missed; but his wishes shall be honored to the best extent that Aquitar and her Rangers can accomplish". Tri-ala read the missive and then frowned at the last words. "The ending of the transmission is not a standard one for an Aquitain to make, Lord Trey. Is there a problem brewing?"

"No, not a problem, Tri-ala." Billy said with a smile. "That was a coded message for me that Delphine was just lying through her teeth to everyone. The clone was kidnapped and did not go willingly with Jason and the others aboard the Megaship. I worked out that code with Delphine and the other Rangers of Aquitar days after coming to their world in search of a cure for my aging disease. We've just kept the code for emergencies, until now. This is the first instance of our old code for danger being used. What Delphine just told me is that the Rangers of Aquitar will once again come to the aid of Earth if necessary. We also worked out contingency plans that if I was ever taken by the forces of evil that Delphine and her team wouldn't try to rescue me; but would terminate my existence at the earliest opportunity. Aquitar and its people do not believe in rescue missions. Usually those asking for help are gone before anyone can reach them. I have adapted to that philosophy during my years on that world and told Delphine of my acceptance of their laws and ways. Had that actually been me that Jason and the others took and it was made universe wide knowledge that I worked with the forces of evil; I could never return to my home there. Aquitain people do not believe in second chances."

"Then I am glad that we were able to get you away from there and replace you, Billy." Trey said with a shudder. "Triforia knows that people can be forced or coerced into acting against their natures; however, Aquitar's ways are know to us as well. I can only imagine that their philosophies come from evolving in an aquatic environment where mistakes are always fatal."

"It does, Trey." Billy sighed in something akin to relief. "I have no wish to be hunted down and killed by my friends on that world. Even though I would hold no rancor or animosity toward them for doing what is natural for them to do, I would not be around to argue against their beliefs. Thankfully, Delphine assured me that as soon as it was taken away that the existence of the clone would become common knowledge to my entire adopted world. Cestria will be relieved that I will come back, one day; however she and I have never undertaken the mating vows. We've found that we are friends first and I've also discovered that our two species aren't truly compatible without major alterations to my genetic coding. Unfortunately for me, the process that would do the alterations would not be one that would be survivable."

"I grieve with you, Billy." Trey said sadly. "You have always been welcome on Triforia and our two physiologies are compatible. Perhaps you will come here to live if you don't stay on Earth. After this confrontation is over with, of course."

"I will keep your offer in mind, Trey." Billy said with a smile for his friend. "Right now, I think I will turn in and sleep. Tomorrow will be soon enough for using the device to check up on the clone. I would do so now, but I have no desire to see, hear, and feel my best friend having sex with me. That is something that would sicken both of us and ruin the closeness we share. Jason is my brother, my friend, and I have no wish to discover what two males engaged in a liaison is like."

The three men retired for the night and the next day Billy used the device that connected him to the clone. He knew right away that something was different with the clone's thoughts. He watched and listened, but he couldn't determine what was different until later that night when he took a chance and used the device again. He saw the Astro Rangers, Karone, and Jason gathered around an armored individual. He knew, by the armor, that this was the Phantom Ranger. He shuddered when Andros, Carlos, TJ, Zhane, Cassie, Karone, and Ashley wrestled the startled ranger to the floor of the Megaship's bridge. He watched in mixed horror and fascination as the Phantom Ranger's helmet was removed. Billy saw Jason dip his hand into a canister and when it emerged it was coated with slime. Shuddering as he recognized where he'd seen something of that consistency before, he watched as the Phantom Ranger's face was smeared with the ooze. Billy kept the clone watching the results as the ooze soaked into the skin of the helpless ranger and he was now under Maligore's control too.

Billy continued to watch until Jason reached for the clone and his mouth descended for a kiss. Billy ripped the remote viewing device from his head and looked wildly around the room. Trey sat silently in a chair and waited for Billy's senses to return to normal. "You were right, Trey." Billy said with a shaky voice about twenty minutes later. "Maligore is using the ooze from Ivan Ooze to control the Space Rangers, Karone, and now the Phantom Ranger is also under his command too."

"What of your clone?" Trey asked calmly yet he too was horrified to learn that Ivan Ooze was possibly in league with Maligore.

"The clone's thoughts are somewhat altered from my own are, Trey." Billy said with a thoughtful tone of voice. "However, I believe that the clone hasn't been subjected to any of Ivan's ooze; simply because it's not really necessary. After thinking on it for most of the day, I know what's different and why. The clone is in love with Jason and will do whatever he asks without question. That is the only difference I can ascertain in the clone because when the remote device is in place I can override that almost blind adoration and get it to look at or mover closer to a conversation without a problem. I believe that Maligore won't use the ooze on it."

"Good, because then they'd know right away it was a clone and not you." Trey said with a small wry smile in Billy's direction. "Father and I surmised that Ivan Ooze or just his ooze was being used to control the Astro Rangers and Karone. He slightly changed the genetics of the clone to where if exposed to that substance, it dies. I'm sure that the medical scanners onboard the Megaship are capable of discovering that defect and Maligore wants you as far away from that substance as possible."

"Affirmative." Billy said and then really looked at the exhausted man before him. "Trey when was the last time you rested at all?"

"I will rest soon, my friend." Trey said with a very tired tone of voice. "We will soon have to travel off world; however, father has requested our presence in his study just after third sunrise in the morning. He wants to start work on a substance or device that will release the Astro Rangers from the controlling influence of Ivan's Ooze as soon as he can. The better prepared we can make the team that's going to face this threat the better, in my opinion."

"I will assist your father in anyway I can, Trey." Billy said seriously. "We also need to contact Lerigot and the Liarians for information on how Maligore's evil can be flushed from someone.

"Father's already done that, Billy." Trey said tiredly. "I've been researching the different ways all day. We think the best way for Jason and the other one Maligore spoke of to my father to be purged of his evil is with something like Lerigot and his family used on them in the first place. Only this time it will have to be twenty or more times stronger. It will likely wipe the memories of being under Maligore's control completely from the mind of anyone that's its used on. We are also looking to adapt the device for use against the ooze Maligore has, obviously, altered to control others with."

"Good, because I don't think Andros or any of the others, including Jason and Kimberly, would survive with the memories of what they'd done to others while under Maligore's control. Both of my good friends, family, were devastated after they were used on Murithanis. I don't believe that Jason will recover if he remembers what he did this time. He should be placed on the same short list that I was, Trey. He'd make a wonderful mentor for a team too."

"I will speak with father about adding his name, after he's been freed from Maligore, of course." Trey said with a slightly teasing tone; but he was serious at the same time.

"Good night, Trey." Billy said placing the remote device onto its holder. "I'll check in with our 'spy' again in the morning."

"Good night, Billy." Trey replied as he left the rooms that Billy was using. "I'll see you at the meeting with father." Trey made his way to his own apartments and collapsed into the bed with a sigh. He didn't even have time to undress until he was deeply asleep.

The next morning found Billy, Trias, and Trey working furiously in the lab Trey had been using to construct the morphers for the team that would face off against the Maligore controlled Jason. The three worked long hours over the next two months and then Billy and Trey had to leave Trey's father working on the device alone. The clone had moved out of the extreme range of the device Billy was using the spy upon those upon the Megaship.

They left Triforia aboard Pyramidas two months and a day after the Megaship had lifted off.

"I'll be only a communication away if trouble arises, Tri-ala." Trey said with a smile for his friend and majordomo.

"Of course, Trey." Tri-ala said with an answering smile. "I will pass your farewells onto Trias too."

"Tell Trias that we would have stayed longer, but the Megaship is now on a quest to discover any that survived the cleansing of the Zordon Wave. I only know one evil being that was unaccounted for after the wave, Scorpina. We will shadow them and see if she's truly perished or if they succeed in recruiting her." Trey said to Tri-ala and boarded his Zord with Billy walking beside him. Pyramidas lifted from Triforian soil minutes later and a course was set for the Megaship and her corrupted Rangers.

XXXXX End of Chapter XXXXX

A/N: That's all for this chapter folks. It's 5:54 a.m. and I apologize in advance for any major and glaring errors you might have found in this chapter. I've been working to finish this for the last three hours. Hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to new twists and turns as this develops. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this tale so far. Your comments, criticisms, critiques, and thoughts are all appreciated.

May the Power Protect You, Always! Pern


	7. Chapter 7 Double Troubles

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** I apologize for taking so long to update this tale, but writer's block combined with a fic exchange (with a deadline) has kept me from updating this. _To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2004. Kudos, massive thanks, and much bowing and scraping at CamFan4Ever, Allie351, and lttlelola's feet, without their input and beta work the last two chapters would have never been completed. The main storyline will take place in 2005 during the time all of us were watching SPD. Thank you to everyone that sent in a review for the previous chapters of this tale. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Okay this chapter takes place around the beginning of 2005. Enjoy and on with the tale!_

**Chapter Seven – Double Troubles**

Cyber-Cam detected the signal of someone using the front doors of the Power Chamber to exit the building. He didn't send out an alarm; but activated the viewing screen and recorded Billy walking straight up to Redigore, being embraced in a fierce yet tender hug, and then teleported away. Cyber-Cam noted that Billy's morpher was not present when he scanned for it and he also detected the signature of the morpher residing on a table next to where Tommy Oliver slept on unaware that he would once again be called to serve the forces of good. This time at the request of William, Billy, Cranston and the gift of the morpher that rested on the small table.

The next morning found our heroes with a quandary on their hands. Billy was missing from the Power Chamber and his morpher was left on the small table next to where Tommy had slept. Tommy was reading the note when the whine of the teleporter signaled the arrival of someone. "Heads up, incoming guest!" Cyber-Cam chimed as the signal was processed and the person appeared in the Power Chamber.

"Greetings and salutations to everyone." Billy said with a conversational tone and then smiled up at Trini in the tube. "It is a pleasure to be able to converse with you again without having to immerse myself in the Morphin Grid, Trini. How fares the fight against the Maligore, Ooze possessed Jason?"

Everyone, except for Trey, gawked in surprise and Tommy took a defensive position between Billy and the consoles. Justin, Adam, Ethan, Cam, Wes, and Eric did the same while Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya joined Trini in a smile of welcome.

"I see that Pyramidas was successful in retrieving you from Edenoi, Billy." Trey said with a small smile on his face. "Unfortunately your double returned to Redigore just a few short hours ago. We could not stop him or the game would have been afoot much sooner than we'd have been ready for."

"What the devil is going on around here?" Tommy asked looking in confusion from Billy to Trey and back. "Double? What double? How? You can't be Billy; Billy's with Redigore, Jason I mean."

"Actually I am Billy, Tommy." Billy said with a frown of concern. "The Billy that is with Redigore is a Triforian grown clone that took my place on Aquitar about a day before it was abducted from that world. I have been in nearly constant contact with the clone since its creation; however I am not currently in contact with it since I have been consulting with Prince Dex on Edenoi on the best way to flush Maligore's evil from Jason without having to resort to contacting Lerigot. His magic missed something in Jason and it has festered and grown to the point that Jason is a prisoner in his own mind and body. According to Trey, Jason will not be able to flush that evil from his system without outside assistance. He did say that Jason would survive the possession intact; thanks to the powers he's held as a Ranger. I'm here with a device that will completely flush Maligore and Ooze from any living being. There's a drawback to this device that I'm somewhat grateful for, for Jason and anyone that's endured the control of evil, it will remove all the memories of what they did as agents of Maligore from their minds, permanently."

"You have something that will free Jason?" Rocky asked with a smile. "That's our Billy, Tommy. First off the words he said when he arrived here makes that point rather moot. Only Billy would greet all of us with two rather large words when a simple hello would suffice."

"I can assure you that this is the real Billy Cranston." Trey said with a truthful tone. "I must apologize to all of you for my part in this deception, but I was completely unprepared to come into the Power Chamber and find the clone in place. Billy had only indicated in his recent messages that the clone was on Earth at all."

"This is Billy." Trini said as she shocked everyone and floated from the tube, they'd never seen her do that before, and laid a ghostly hand against Billy's cheek. "This is my friend, confidante, and former teammate and this is NOT a cloned duplicate." Trini returned to the safety of the tube and smiled down at everyone

"How could your clone, attached as he is to Redigore, manage to negotiate all the traps in the tunnel we traversed to get into this place?" Justin asked with curiosity and some suspicion as well.

"Because I gave him, thru the monitoring device I wore, all the information he'd need to get past them, Justin Stewart." Billy replied with a small smile hovering about his lip. "Redigore, for a reason we cannot fathom, has never subjected my clone to the Maligore altered Ooze of Ivan Ooze that he uses to control the Astro Rangers along with the Phantom Ranger. The only part of Redigore that possesses my clone is his heart and that's the only part of me that Jason controls as well. I love Jason, as a brother and a friend, nothing more. However, Maligore cannot understand any form of that very powerful emotion that is not twisted in something sexual."

"Billy is Kim with them?" Tommy asked, suddenly concerned and his face fell as he realized that whatever had his 'bro' also had the only woman he'd ever truly loved too.

"She is and she isn't, Tommy." Billy said with a smile as he touched a stud on the gleaming silver cuff he wore on his right wrist and spoke into it. "Go ahead and teleport my passenger to the Power Chamber, Pyramidas."

The whine of the teleporters was heard again and when the teleportation was complete; Kimberly Hart stood in the Power Chamber again, but instead of a bright smile her pretty elfin face was contorted with a grimace of revulsion and horror. She batted a strange looking headband from her forehead and scowled angrily at both Billy and Trey. "That… that… thing is currently enjoying himself with my duplicate. YUCK!!!"

"Beautiful?" Tommy breathed scarcely able to comprehend that she was there with them.

"Tommy?" Kimberly turned and when she saw him she smiled so brightly that everyone in the room, including Tommy, had no problems understanding that whatever caused the letter to be written it no longer mattered. Kimberly launched herself into his arms and he caught her and held her tightly to him.

"Oh god, you're safe, you're here, and I love you so much." Tommy breathed into her ear as he held her tightly against him. "I'm never letting you go away from me again, Kim; never again."

Kimberly laughed and then surprised everyone when she wriggled easily from Tommy's embrace. "Not going anywhere for a long while, handsome. We'll work it out. That letter… that letter should have been burned instead of mailed. It was Coach Schmidt that sent it, Tommy. He sent letters out to all of the boyfriend or girlfriends that we'd left back home. He wanted us to concentrate on just our training and nothing else. I was furious when I found out and then after the mess on Murithanis, seeing Kat in your arms hurt so badly that I couldn't say a word then."

"I always knew that letter wasn't the Kimberly Hart I knew." Adam said as he stepped up and hugged Kimberly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome back to where you belong, Kimberly."

"Trini have you ever been able to determine where they're hiding the Megaship and how they're doing it?" Billy asked as he neatly distracted everyone from the fact that Tommy had ripped Kimberly from Adam's arms and was kissing her senseless at that moment.

"No and it is frustrating, Billy. The Megaship shouldn't be able to be hidden from the Power Chamber's sensors. Not this Power Chamber anyway." Trini replied with a huffy, frustrated tone of voice.

"Spell?" Rocky asked looking around the room at anyplace other than Kimberly and Tommy locked in a tight embrace.

"Unlikely, Rocky." Billy said with a proud tone of voice. "But a good guess, my friend. Anything we can speculate, deduce, or intuitively conjecture from what little we have will be a huge step in keeping our world safe from Maligore once again."

"The last time it was Divatox that wanted him freed to marry him." Justin said with a thoughtful frown as he paced around the room. "Could she be behind this again, this time?"

"No, Divatox is no more." Trey said with a slight smile on his face. "The lady Diana of Inquirus now lives on Triforia and is soon, as soon as I can get back, to become my Lady. The one you knew, as Divatox, the twin sister of Demitria, and was born to the side of good; but spirited away at birth by the evil Momma D, the thing she called mother. When the Zordon wave destroyed Momma D and returned Divatox to her true humanoid form. Our joining will cement the peace between Triforia and Inquirus for many years to come."

"Hopefully there is love there too and not just a political alliance." Aisha said with a sad frown. "I thought IT was you, Billy. I thought there was… " Aisha stopped and broke down into tears as she turned and tried to run from the main room. Rocky caught her and held her as she cried.

"Shhh, Sha." Rocky said as he stroked her braided hair gently. "I've got you, it's okay."

Billy blinked and then looked around in consternation his voice was filled with pain and sorrow. "What has my doppelganger wrought during my necessary absence to Edenoi and the resulting inattention to Maligore's plans that caused?"

"You and Sha, well it and Sha, have been dating, seriously dating, for almost a year, Billy." Adam said with some compassion in his voice for both Billy and Aisha's distress. "You, it, proposed to her just three days ago."

"Oh, my." Billy said and that small revelation more than anything else that had happened over the intervening years brought him to the floor. "I never thought… she'd… ever… return… my… " Tears appeared in Billy's eyes as he looked to where Rocky held Aisha very tenderly in his arms and soothed her as he rocked slowly back and forth while holding her.

Rocky looked up at Billy's words and he smiled slightly as he whispered quietly and even that quiet whisper carried clearly to everyone in the room, it was that silent. "Give Ish some time, Billy. I'm just a brother, nothing more. She's loved you for years and was crushed when she got the news you'd stayed on Aquitar with Cestria. Then she comes back and your clone comes home, we all thought it was really you. The two of you hook up and start dating and now she finds out she's not been with you, but a duplicate."

Tommy startled everyone when he removed the Genius Force morpher he'd strapped around his wrist before Billy appeared that morning. "Here, Billy." Tommy said as he removed the cuff and strapped the morpher around Billy's wrist in the cuff's place. "This is rightfully yours; this time I'll be the flunky to your leader. It's only fair after the way we treated you when you gave up your place to Tanya." His voice held the bite of command, but it was softened with understanding and friendship too.

Billy blinked back the tears and wiped his eyes as he looked down at the morpher on his wrist. "Tommy, I… " His voice was still filled with tears and he had to stop and get himself under control. A minute or two later he continued. "I'm honored, Tommy." He turned to look at Trini, "Did my doppelganger morph using this device, Trini?"

"He did, Billy." Trini said quietly. "Is that significant?"

"Not really," Billy replied almost absent-mindedly. "It's just that I've been out of contact with my duplicate for almost a year now. Taking these powers will be uncomfortable for a few days, that's all."

"Echo?" Rocky surprised everyone when he asked the question first.

"Yeah." Billy replied with a slight grimace. "There will be an echo of my duplicate in the powers; however that might be beneficial and give us an insight into the plans of Redigore that Kimberly or I don't know about."

"I have a question." Ethan asked seriously. "You have a duplicate and Kimberly has a duplicate. Could someone have duplicated this Jason and that's what this Redigore is?"

"Unfortunately, no." Billy said sadly as he looked around at the others. "Jason Lee Scott, my friend and a former Power Ranger, like all of us, is Redigore. Thanks to a random conversation with Tommy I was able to get Kimberly to Triforia where she was totally cleansed of Maligore's possession just after she agreed to have a clone made of her too. We've been secretly spying on them for almost two years now, but due to having to be out of touch on Edenoi working on the device to wipe the evil out of those Maligore has warped to do his bidding, I have been out of touch with what my clone was doing."

"His base is on the moon, someplace." Kimberly said from where she was wrapped tightly in Tommy's arms. "I can't figure out where it is, but I do know that not only are the Astro Rangers and the Phantom Ranger with Jason, but so is Scorpina and another woman that looks something like a cross between a human and cat. I don't know where she came from, but she's under the control of altered ooze and she's building all of his minions, monsters, and has constructed a device to hide them from our sensors."

"Where did he get her from?" Billy asked with a stunned expression showing on his face.

"Apparently he kidnapped her from Earth, Billy." Kim answered with a slight frown on his face. "She from someplace called New Tech City. I've never heard of it, but it's supposedly someplace here in California."

"Ah," Trini said with a slight smile. "Dr. Katherine Manx, a noted Denebian Scientist from the world of Deneb Seven, has been on Earth for three years working with scientists from Collins Industries in New Tech City. They've been studying and researching the Grid and the powers of the Rangers. Apparently Mr. Collins has moved his base of operations from Silver Hills to New Tech City and while the Silver Guardians are still based in Silver Hills he's formed an upgraded and updated version of that force called Space Patrol Delta. SPD has complete police authority over New Tech City. So that is where the woman that looks like a cat came from. She is very good at what she does; almost as good as Billy, Haley, and Cam combined."

"Ouch." Adam said and Ethan echoed it so closely that it seemed they spoke at the same time. "Nasty toys for Redigore then; advanced nasty toys for him to toss at us."

"We will free them all." Billy said with a conviction and sureness in his voice that none of them had ever heard him use before. "Jason never let any of us down, gave up on us, or left us behind and we won't stop until he and all the others are free of Maligore and he's imprisoned again or destroyed." Billy looked around the room and received nods from everyone, even Aisha, that what he spoke was what they would do. "First order of business will be to get his captive technical advisor away from him. That will diminish the amount of 'nasty toys' he has at his disposal. The very next thing, if we can accomplish it at the same time as the first will be a great boon to us, is to get back the Pink and Yellow morphers away from Redigore. Scorpina's presence is a bit of a quandary, but we will deal with that as it comes our way. Any suggestions?"

"Well we already tried getting one of us taken. It backfired and Wes almost paid the ultimate price for our failure." Eric said with a stern tone as he glared at Billy.

"Jason is too smart to fall for that." Billy stated with such conviction that Eric's anger evaporated immediately. "First of all we pulled that trick many times ourselves on Rita, Zedd, and Mondo. He would be expecting something like that. No, combating Redigore is going to take a level of cunning that few of us possess."

"Whatever attack plans we come up with, they can't be drawn from anyone that has ever fought with Jason." Tommy said quietly. That leaves very few of us here that can formulate any plans against him and whatever he's going to toss against us."

"That only leaves me and Cam." Ethan squeaked in surprise. "From your video history, he's familiar with the fighting styles and strategies of everyone in this room right now."

"There is one person I can bring in that Jason wouldn't be familiar with." Tommy said as he looked at Billy with a small devilish smile on his face. "Kat's husband, Katherine Hillard. Jase knows him, know of him, but is totally unfamiliar with his tactics."

"David?" Billy asked surprising Tommy with his quick realization of just whom Tommy was speaking of.

"Yes, my biological brother, David Trueheart." Tommy nodded and then watched as Billy's face broke into the first real smile any of them had seen since he arrived that morning. "If David and Kat agree to the scans necessary for them to access the Power Chamber, then I would more than appreciate his input into our quandary, Tommy."

"They've already been scanned and cleared, Billy." Trini told him with a grin that quickly grew into a full-fledged smile of delight. "Tommy thought to scan David at the same time he scanned Kat just a few short days ago. They are clear of any signs of Maligore or Ivan Ooze."

"This is very hard to me to say, but this is an order to every Ranger out there and the word needs to be passed from team to team." Billy said sternly, his features contorted with pain in his heart at even having to say the next words. "Last resort orders, take out and destroy Redigore. We fail and the other teams are going to be next on his list to decimate. Should we fail, the word must be passed to everyone that has ever wielded the powers. Destroy Redigore at all costs." Billy finished choking out his order and then turned away from everyone as tears streamed down his face for he'd just signed his best friend's death warrant.

"Billy!" Kimberly and all the others gasped in and equal combination of horror and amazed shock.

"It cannot be any other way." Billy said with a voice that allowed no argument yet was filled with the all the horror, grief, and pain his declaration had caused him personally. "We fail and there won't be a future for Earth or anyone that ever held the powers. Maligore will destroy them through Redigore before he decimates and enslaves the entire world."

"Billy is right, regretfully." Trini said sadly. "Redigore and Maligore must be stopped at any and all costs."

"It won't come to that." Tommy said sternly, shocking everyone with the vehement and heart-felt tone of his voice. "We won't let it ever come to that, Billy." Tommy's voice softened and he placed a hand on the very dejected friend that now lead Genius Force. "We'll win, somehow, someway; we'll beat Maligore and free everyone he's corrupted. You brought us the very tool we need to do that with and now we just have to bide our time until we can use it."

"A very touching speech, Blue Genius Force Ranger." Redigore's voice issued from the speakers and the viewing globe lit up to show him and the clone of Billy sitting on what appeared to be a throne. Redigore was clad head to toe in the concealing armor while the doppelganger of Billy was seated at his feet and leaning his head on Redigore's right knee while Kimberly was seated next to Billy with her head on Redigore's left knee. Standing behind him were eight people all with blank eyes and sneers on their faces. Andros, Karone, Ashley, Cassie, TJ, Carlos, and Zhane were seen clearly. A person clad in black and grey Ranger armor stood nearby as two clearly female people stepped forward in the armor of Genius Force. "I've just augmented my ranks by two and I'm sure that you're anxious to meet my newest warriors on the battlefield. Two hours from now, in the quarry, Genius Force Rangers. If you're not there I will destroy the hospital in Stone Canyon."

The screen went black and everyone's face twisted into grimaces of revulsion, hate, and sorrow combined. "Two hours, guys." Billy said as he looked at the morpher on his wrist. "Trini, give us a five minute warning before we have to morph and teleport to the quarry." He looked into Tommy's face and smiled slyly. "Redigore is going to find out just exactly what he's up against. Alpha, use the equipment in the Zord bay and start teleporting in everyone that's ever held Ranger powers in any form. Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Aisha go and help him and greet our fellow Rangers. Trey, contact Delphine on Aquitar and Leo on Mirinoi, get the Aquitain and Lost Galaxy Rangers enroute to Earth as soon as possible. If teleportation is possible, get them here by that means, if not get them here as quickly as we can. Tommy, take a poll of those here. I need to know who can and can't still morph."

"Billy, what have you got up your sleeve?" Rocky asked quietly from where he was still reclined against the wall of the Power Chamber and hadn't moved nor had anyone else moved when Billy started spouting off orders.

"We're going out in force, Rocky, not just a combined force of Red Rangers and leaders; but all of us that can get there are going to be in that quarry in one hour. I helped Trey with the design of the powers for this team and I know the weaknesses and strengths of these powers as well as, if not better than, any of the powers I've ever held. Tommy, Redigore doesn't know that I'm here or that the Billy with him isn't truly me. You're going to have to take the Genius Force lead for this since he doesn't know that the Kimberly and Billy with him aren't truly us. Kimberly and I will take whatever powers are available, but we will be on that battlefield with all of you. The Genius Force powers are not equipped to deal with multiple attacks by similar yet different powers. Color for color and the rest support and step in as needed for I'm sure that there will be a small army of Scramblers there as well as Redigore himself."

"I'm calling in Haley." Tommy said stepping to the teleportation console.

"No, Tommy!" Billy said and quickly stopped Tommy from using the controls. "It is obvious that Redigore can hack our communications array, for now; I'll work on stopping that as soon as we get back. I want him to see us teleporting in former Rangers and I want him to see them staying. We're going to make it look like we're circling the wagons and pulling everyone he could possibly go after in an aborted attempt to keep them safe while we meet him in the quarry. Genius Force will teleport to the quarry first and then… then comes the surprise of his life because two minutes after Genius Force arrives, the rest will teleport in behind them in one massive group. This Power Chamber has that kind of capabilities and we're going to take full advantage of that for now."

"Delphine and Leo have acknowledged the call to arms, Billy." Trey said with a smile as he stepped away from the small console he'd used for the communication. "They're gathering their teams and will be prepared to be teleported from coordinates they supplied in one Earth hour."

"Good." Billy said and looked around at the slowly dawning realization on the faces of those around him. He smiled as Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Aisha broke into huge smiles and quickly bolted down the hallway to catch up with the swiftly retreating form of Alpha Eight that had passed them a minute after Billy gave the order.

"What can I do to help?" Cam and Ethan asked as they stepped forward.

"You two are going to work with me to integrate this device into something a little more circumspect." Billy said smiling at the two as he removed the morpher from his wrist and extended it to Tommy.

Tommy took the morpher from Billy's hands with a nod and his voice was soft when he told his friend, "This is only a loan for one battle, Billy Cranston. I might have doctorate in Paleontology, but you, you are truly the Genius that Trini named this incarnation for. I hope and pray this works out, my friend."

"It will probably only garner us one, maybe two people back where they belong, but it will be a small victory for us and a major defeat for Redigore." Billy replied as he, Cam, Ethan, Trini, and Cyber-Cam started work on reducing the size of device Billy and the scientists of Edenoi, Triforia, and Aquitar had constructed to free those under Maligore's control. "We won't be getting Redigore in this battle, but maybe just maybe we can whittle down his ranks by one, two, or more today."

"Anything will can do will be a step in the right direction, Billy." Tommy said as he stepped away and allowed them to work on the device and bumped into the Quantum Ranger.

"He's going to get us all killed." Eric groused with a huge smile showing on his face. "Either that or were going to scare the pants and skirts off everyone of Redigore's people today. My God, the shear amount of Ranger teams he's proposing to put into battle just boggles my mind."

"Billy's good, Eric." Tommy said with an answering smile starting to form on his face. "He'll keep his word too. He'll be down there with us if he has to come without an active power. Jason, Jason is our friend, our brother, and someone that we'd die for if we could. It's hard to explain it any other way."

"I understand what you're trying to say, Tommy." Eric said as he set a hand on Tommy's shoulder and squeezed slightly. "I feel the same way for Wes; I never tell him that in those words, but he knows and I suspect he feels the same for me too."

"Power binding." Trini said with a smile starting to show through the horror of what Billy was proposing to do. "Billy you are going to give me heart failure if you keep this up."

"Power binding?" Tommy and Eric asked at the same time as Wes joined them with a quizzical look on his face.

"By bringing in all the others that have ever held the power; Billy is going to attempt to use the powers themselves to call to those possessed and controlled by Maligore through the Ooze of Ivan Ooze." Trini explained with a still growing smile on her face. "The powers have to bind those that hold them to their teams, but those powers also call out to those that have held a corresponding color too. Red calls to Red and so forth down the line of color. The unusual colors of Gold, White, Silver, and Titanium will call to each other as well. So Zhane's Silver Astro Powers will feel the call of Trey's Gold, Ryan's Titanium, Merrick's Lunar Wolf, as well as Delphine's White Powers and Mike Corbett's Magna Defender powers. Billy is going to attempt to use the binding of the colors to call to those possessed. He's going to try and get them away, in small groups, so that he can use the device to free them from evil's control."

"Sneaky, for a geek." Wes commented dryly but with a high degree of approval and acceptance in his voice.

"I believe that would be his Ninjetti animal spirit coming out." Kimberly said with a tone that acknowledged Wes's acceptance and approval, but that also teased him for the comment. "Billy is the Ninjetti Wolf and this plan is something that a wolf pack would to while hunting. Single out and strike for the kill."

"That is the plan, Kimberly." Billy said as he continued to work with the others in miniaturizing the large cannon type device he'd brought with him. "Break the weak ones away from the herd and feed the pack."

"In this case the pack is the side of good and the weak ones will be those that haven't had the controlling ooze applied recently." Cam said with a very devilish smile as he continued to work. "This circuitry is amazing, Billy. Miniaturizing this isn't going to take more than an hour, maybe an hour and half."

The ones remain in the Power Chamber's main room, that weren't working on the Cleansing Ray, as they'd call come to call it, went down to the Zord Bay to help with the arrival of confused and then angry former Rangers as they were unceremoniously teleported away from what they'd been doing. Once briefed on what was going on, they quickly calmed down and moved to stand near teammates and friends to make room for more arrivals. Tommy, Kimberly, Trey, Wes, and Eric entered the gigantic bay that would hold the monstrous machines Genius Force would use to fight off Maligore to find small groups of rangers talking amongst themselves as more and more arrived and were briefed by Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya.

"Well this seems to be going smoothly." Tommy commented as he looked around at the grim determined faces that turned his way when they'd entered the room. "Welcome everyone and I wish that this impromptu reunion could be held under better circumstances. Most of you are aware of what we're facing; a Ranger's worst nightmare. A friend and teammate corrupted to the side of evil against their will. This time it's not just one friend and teammate, but many friends and teammates working under the influence of evil's control."

"Why all of us?" Carter asked as he stepped slightly forward from where he'd been talking with the other Lightspeed Rescue team members. "Why not just the Red Rangers like we did for the moon mission?"

"Because this time it's not the Machine Empire remains attempting to resurrect Serpenterra, Carter." Tommy said sadly. "This time it's an entire team of Rangers, the Astro or Space Rangers, along with the Phantom Ranger, Jason Scott, and two others that we're not sure who they are, but with being given the powers, they're part of our family now and we won't leave them behind."

"The whole Space Ranger team?" Leo asked as he and the Lost Galaxy Rangers stepped away from where they'd arrived to make room the Aquitain Rangers to arrive. "What of the Phantom Ranger?"

"Andros, Karone, Ashley, Cassie, Zhane, Carlos, TJ, and the Phantom Ranger are all under Maligore's control." Tommy stated with a stern yet concerned tone of voice. "We will free every single Ranger, active or not, that evil being has corrupted."

"We're behind you, Tommy." Leo said even as both Delphine and Aurico echoed Leo's words.

"Good, because we're going to need all the help we can get with this." Tommy said with a serious tone and a nod to all the Rangers in the room. "I am, temporarily, for this battle the leader of the newest incarnation of the powers. Our mentor is Trini Kwan and we will all head up to the main room shortly to meet everyone. For now I'd like to give those working on the device to free our trapped compatriots more time to perfect it. As much time as we can give them within the two hour time window we have to work with right now."

"Two hours? What's going to happen in two hours?" Carter asked with a slight frown marring his face.

"In just under forty minutes," Trey said seriously as he looked at the large clock on the wall that was counting down in bright red LED numbers. "We will all be teleported to a battlefield to engage the forces of Redigore and attempt to free some of our number that have been corrupted. The initial plan is for the current team, Genius Force, to teleport to the site and the rest of us are to follow in one mass teleportation just moments later. We will need to be morphed and prepared to lend a hand the second we arrive. Trini has prepared a small presentation that will give you an idea of what you will possibly be facing when we arrive."

"Trini?" Tommy said into the air and smiled when she quickly answered.

"Are you ready for the presentation, Tommy?"

"We are, Trini." Tommy said with a small sigh of relief seeping into his voice. "How goes the work up there?"

"Progressing very quickly and amazingly fast considering that our Billy has not worked with Cam, Ethan, or Cyber-Cam before. Haley is also offering her input and assistance too." Trini told him then everyone gasped as the bay went dark. "It is just the presentation starting, do not be alarmed and please turn your attention to the screen that is lowering now."

The entire group turned to where a very large screen lowered at the back of the bay and all were silent as the most recent battles against Redigore, the Scramblers, and the one monster he'd sent down were played out for all to see. The only thing that wasn't show was the results of the last battle against Redigore where Billy's clone had shoved his weapon completely through Redigore.

The assemblage was quite when the display went dark and the lights returned to show grim determined expression on every Ranger there. Tommy simply nodded and awaited Trini's call to action. It was all they could do for now.

XXXXX To Be Continued XXXXX

A/N: I know that everyone hates cliffhanger endings to chapters, but the coming battle is so large and contains so many characters that to add it to this chapter would not enhance the story in anyway. The battle will be presented in it's entirety two chapters from now, as the next chapter will take you back in time again to show some of the significant points that were raised in this chapter. (i.e. How the Phantom Ranger and Kat Manx were taken and turned to the side of evil.) As always, please leave a review and let me know what you think of how this is progressing. _On a short side note, this chapter was not beta read by anyone and any mistakes are mine alone. I apologize in advance for any spelling, grammatical, and other errors, but all of my beta readers were unavailable and I wanted to get this posted before everyone forgot about this tale._ Pern.


	8. Chapter 8 Phantoms of Scorpina

**Genius Force**

Written by: PernDragonrider

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** First of all, a big thank you to everyone that's left a review for this tale. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it. The writer's block that seemed to be gone came back twice as bad. I apologize to everyone that's following this tale for the delay in updating it, but I couldn't write anything on it. Every time I tried I got two or three words then BLAM… I slammed into a steel wall and couldn't write for over a week or more. Also I apologize for this chapter being so short, but I decided to at least post what I did have. I will address missed issues in chapter ten. To fit this story into the Power Ranges timeline, the odd chapters are happening in the years 2005; during the time all of us were watching SPD save the future. This chapter, again, jumps back into the past. Jason, Andros, Zhane, Karone, TJ, Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley are onboard the Megaship Mark II and have been smeared with some of the ooze from Ivan Ooze's remains that were frozen on Ryan's Comet. Billy was cloned by Triforian technology and that clone is now with those on the Megaship. Now we see what happens next. Enjoy everyone and as always, please leave a review to let me know what you think of this missive. Pern. Now onto the story!

Chapter Eight – Phantoms of Scorpina 

The next morning found Billy, Trias, and Trey working furiously in the lab Trey had been using to construct the morphers for the team that would face off against the Maligore controlled Jason. The three worked long hours over the next two months and then Billy and Trey had to leave Trey's father working on the device alone. The clone had moved out of the extreme range of the device Billy was using the spy upon those upon the Megaship.

They left Triforia aboard Pyramidas two months and a day after the Megaship had lifted off.

The quickly accomplished task of getting Billy back into range of the monitoring device for his clone was swiftly done. Billy sat quietly, using the device to see, hear, feel, and think what his doppelganger did. "They have sent out a call for the Phantom Ranger, Trey." Billy said quietly into the silence of Pyramidas' control room. "Unfortunately we are too late for that unknown person has already joined them on the Megaship and he's just been corrupted by the ooze. Apparently he, or she, knows where Scorpina might be found and they are setting a course now. I'm trying to get my clone to peek over Andros' shoulder, but I'm not sure if I can accomplish it. This Maligore possessed Jason is rather possessive over my doppelganger and gets very violently jealous should he get near any of the others."

"Just see if you can find out where they're headed, Billy." Trey replied with a sigh that held defeat and sorrow in his voice. "The Phantom Ranger is a male. He's from Inquirus. It saddens me we were too late to keep him from becoming enslaved by Maligore too."

"They're headed for a place called Onyx." Billy said as he removed the device that allowed him to remain in contact with the clone. "Andros just said something to the effect that if Scorpina were anywhere in the known galaxies that she'd probably either be on Onyx or have agents there they could contact her through."

"Good work, Billy." Trey said as he smiled bright and set the course into the control panel of his Zord/spaceship. "Onyx is one of those frontier worlds that will cater to anyone for a price. Maybe we can beat the Megaship there…" Trey's voice trails off as his instruments register that the ship they were following had jumped to emergency speed. "Maybe not. The Megaship just jumped to Hyper-rush Nine. It's top speed. Pyramidas is only capable of achieving that speed for very, very short bursts."

"Just stay in contact range for the clone, Trey." Billy said with a tone of understand for Trey's frustrations. "As long as we have that unknown link with them, we can at least glean their plans and possibly prevent massive destruction in the process. I have no Ranger powers anymore and I am not equipped to battle against any foes that might possess Ranger powers and neither are you. Yes, your Gold Ranger's powers are formidable; however you would be facing seven other Rangers under the control of evil. You know too much about the newest team and their capabilities to fall into evil's hands right now, my friend. We will just have to be patient and learn what we can to help out when that team is assembled."

"You are right, Billy." Trey answered with a sigh. "All right, I'm programming Pyramidas to trail the Megaship's course while keeping at least four light years behind it. We will get to Onyx about a half of a day after them and I can only hope that they are delayed in finding what they're looking for there. Using the monitoring device all day and night is not an option for anyone, including a Triforian."

"We'll monitor as we can, Trey." Billy said tiredly as he closed his eyes and rested from the strain of using the monitoring system.

Pyramidas shadowed the Megaship to Onyx and Trey took the chance and teleported to the surface in disguise to see if he could find any information or possibly find Scorpina herself. He was about thirty minutes too late for when he did find the beautiful yet evil woman she was already deep in conversation with the possessed Jason, Andros, and Phantom Ranger. Trey quickly went back to where he could teleport aboard Pyramidas and passed that information along to Billy. The clone wasn't with them on the surface and both assumed that Jason had left him aboard the Megaship for his protection.

Two hours later, the Megaship lifted from the surface of Onyx with Scorpina aboard. Billy again put on the monitoring device and found that they were headed to Earth. Both he and Trey were puzzled as to why that could be until Billy remembered communicating with a Denebian scientist working on Earth to develop stronger powers for a future team of Rangers. "They're after Dr. Kat Max from the Deneb system, Trey." Billy told his traveling companion with a tone that held some trepidation and horror. "Maligore is also planning to pick up the other that was corrupted at the same time Jason was. I don't know who that is. He won't say the name."

"It was Kimberly." Trey said sadly.

"Can we beat the Megaship to Kimberly?" Billy asked with a hopeful tone. "At least beat them to her and we can clone Kim too. That would give us two spies aboard and deny Maligore the essential pieces of himself that are in Kimberly at the same time."

"We can try, Billy; we can only try." Trey said and then set a course for Earth and took the chance of disabling his Zord by running it at top emergency speed for the entire trip.

The quick hop to Earth only netted them a day to spare before the Megaship would arrive. Trey positioned Pyramidas to where the Earth would shield his Zord from the Megaship's sensors. "We've only gained a day, Billy. It will take three to grow the clone. What can we do?"

"Here, Trey." Billy said passing him a slim pink rod. "Kimberly's biological signature is encoded on this rod. It will allow us to find her and teleport her aboard. We might have to sedate her and do the cloning processes without her knowledge, but it will give us an edge; I hope."

Trey inserted the data-rod into an appropriate slot on Pyramidas' control panel and then sighed as it quickly beeped with a set of locked in coordinates. "She's stationary, Billy. Scan the coordinates and see if it's safe to teleport her aboard."

Billy quickly scanned the area around Kimberly Hart's location and then without saying a word teleported her aboard Pyramidas. "Hey Kim, sorry about this, but… " Billy said apologetically as he quickly gassed the room Kim had arrived in and he and Trey took the cells needed for the clone.

"I hate to do this, Trey." Billy said with a sigh, but it would be best if we kept Kimberly asleep until we can test the device we've constructed a little more. If we can safely remove what parts of Maligore remained in her; then I should be able to reconfigure the 'cleanser' to implant them into the clone. Then we return her to Earth and let the clone be taken."

"It will be tricky to hide Pyramidas for that long from the Megaship's sensor's, but I will do what I can." Trey replied as he sat at the control panel and minutely adjusted the large Zord's course.

"The Zord bay of the Power Chamber should still be intact, Trey. It's big enough to hold Pyramidas and I have the override codes that will power it up. It's specially shielded so the Megaship shouldn't be able to detect us there. Once inside we can gain extra power for the teleportation system too." Billy said with a distracted tone as he was testing the device they'd built on Triforia for freeing those held by Maligore and the ooze he'd altered to enslave the Astro Rangers, Karone, and now Phantom Ranger.

"Hold on, this will be a very quick, hard landing, Billy." Trey said tersely from where he sat. "I'm going to skirt the edge of the sensors, hover over the bay entrance, cut power, and then let gravity take Pyramidas inside. It's the only way right now because of where the Megaship is positioned. It's orbiting almost directly above the Power Chamber."

"Don't worry, Trey." Billy said with a stern tone as he quickly secured the unconscious Kimberly and himself. "Jason and the others can't get into the remains. Between the security systems that Jason would know about and the ones I installed after he'd left. They'd be killed. Maligore won't attempt to use that as his base of operations. He couldn't because they can't get past all the traps without special knowledge. Also I designed some of the security systems to need a morphed Ranger using a certain power spectrum to be able to get past the deadlier ones. Power Coin, Ninja/Ninjetti, Zeo Crystal, or Turbo Key only can get past them. Even the destruction Divatox wrought inside should have self-repaired by now so we'll have access to the medical table and the computers. From the Zord holding bay I can deactivate the security systems. We're secured, go for it."

Trey did exactly as he'd said he would and he and Billy were still knocked from their seats and rendered unconscious because of the deadfall landing Trey executed.

Waking up slowly, Trey checked the sensors and sighed in relief as they showed nothing but the surrounding Zord bay and the Megaship still in orbit around the planet. "We made it." He said quietly as he released the straps that had held him in his chair and checked on Billy and Kimberly.

Billy groaned as Trey checked him over and then said painfully, "Next time, use just a little power, Trey. I think I left my stomach, brain, and everything else up in orbit."

"Sorry my friend." Trey answered as he checked out the damage. "I wanted them to think we were a meteor or comet fragment rather than a Zord sneaking into the Power Chamber. It seemed to have worked and Kimberly and the growing clone are both fine. You're all right but a bit bruised about the ribs."

"I'll live, Trey." Billy groaned as he released himself from the straps and checked on the 'cleansing' device. "Well no damage to this either. Good we can try it on Kimberly as soon as the clone is fully grown. We're going to have to have Kimberly pass along a good bit of history to the clone. More than I had too for mine because Jason will ask more pointed questions of Kimberly than he would of me. He knows she's never left Earth since returning from Murithanis."

"God Billy, couldn't you ask first?" Kimberly said as she slowly rose from where she'd been knocked out. "What the heck is going on and who's the guy with the robes, cloak, and tattoo over his eye?"

"Sorry, Kimberly." Billy said with a very apologetic tone. "Um this is Trey, Lord of Triforia, and the Gold Ranger. The one Jason held the powers for just before Divatox kidnapped you and Jason while scuba diving. Um, Kimberly, we have a situation. One that's required some drastic measures."

"Yeah you've cloned me." Kimberly said as she stood up. "Now explain why and I might not tickle you to death just yet."

Billy and Trey took turns explaining the situation to Kimberly and after they did she sat down hard onto the decking of Pyramidas and then looked up at both of them with a very hard look. "Use it, Billy. Do what you have to, but Maligore can't win. I'll do my part and use the device to spy and learn what I can. God Jason is going to have a guilt trip from hell when this is over with. Not only that he's going to have an absolute nervous breakdown when he finds out that he's been having sex with you. We both know he loves us, but we're little brother and little sister. He'd never think of doing anything sexual with either of us it would be way too much like having sex with someone that was blood related to him."

Billy picked up the device and handed Trey the specially designed scanner that he'd built to detect the minute traces of Maligore's evil along with what they'd discovered about the altered ooze substance Ivan Ooze was comprised of. Trey scanned Kimberly and nodded that the device detected evil in her and Billy used the device and smiled when it worked and completely removed all traces of evil from Kimberly.

"Now I just have to reconfigure this so that it will return what I took from the real Kimberly to the clone." Billy muttered as he moved back to the table the device had been on and started working on it.

"Ouch, that leaves behind a headache." Kim said with a groan as she sat down in a chair and watched as another her developed in the tank nearby. "This is freaky watching this thing grow. Can I go outside?"

"Not yet, Kimberly." Trey said from where he sat nearby. "Billy hasn't disabled any of the security measures yet and the only reason Pyramidas hasn't been attacked is because the bay was never reprogrammed after the Gold Ranger Powers were returned to me. We don't dare venture out of my Zord until Billy deactivates the security measures. Especially you since you no longer have Ranger powers to protect you."

Kim smiled at Trey and her tone was light and teasing as she spoke. "That's where you're wrong, Lord of Triforia. I haven't had to call upon them in years, but NOTHING can take away my connection to the great power and my animal spirit. I can still call upon my Ninjetti powers that Dulcea helped us to find the first time we were up against Ivan."

"I wouldn't advise even trying to go outside of Trey's Zord yet, Kimberly." Billy said distractedly as he worked over the device. "I upgraded the security systems, majorly, just after Goldar and Rito succeeded in getting into the lower levels and planting implosion devices that took out the Command Center the first time. Even being morphed; you'd have a hell of a time bypassing some of those systems without specific code words and actions that you know nothing about. Just give me about two minutes and I'll go out and deactivate the systems and we can move around the Power Chamber and the Zord Holding Bay freely after that."

"All right, Billy." Kim semi-pouted and then sat down in a chair and watched Billy work on the device as Trey continued accessing the damage done to his Zord when he'd made the drastic landing in the bay.

"Well Pyramidas is slightly damaged, but nothing the internal repair functions can't fix in about a week. You and Kimberly might be out of contact with your clones longer than we would like before we can discover where the Megaship has gotten too and get you both back into range."

"I'm done." Billy said as he looked up just as Trey finished speaking. "I'll take a look at what needs to be fixed and see if the Power Chamber's machinery can fix it faster than the onboard systems, Trey." Billy moved to a communication console and keyed in a set of numbers. He blocked what he'd just done from both Trey and Kimberly. Billy turned around after he'd finished and sighed tiredly, "The security systems are now off line and we'll be safe going out into the Bay or the main rooms of the Power Chamber. Don't venture below or above these levels because I didn't take those security measure off line just in case Maligore decides to try and use this place because Jason has such fond memories of it."

"I don't care if I could only get outside this Zord and just into the bay, Billy." Kimberly said with a tone that was part horror and part freaked out. "I just want away from watching this clone grow. It's really freaking me out!"

Billy and Kimberly left Pyramidas while Trey stayed onboard to monitor the growth of the clone. The two friends made their way into the main room of the Power Chamber and Kimberly marveled at how different yet how similar it was to the Command Center. Billy immediately called up the viewing globe and he watched, helplessly, as Andros, Zhane, and Scorpina quickly subdued and teleported away with a struggling, hissing, and spitting, Dr. Katherine Manx.

"Damn it to all hell and back!" Billy said pounding uselessly on a nearby console. "We're screwed now!"

"What's wrong, Billy?" Kimberly asked in confusion.

"They just succeeded in taking Kat Manx from New Tech City." Billy said in disgust. "Think of her as an alien me with about twice the brain power and ingenuity, Kim. Maligore now has one of the few people in the universe that has more knowledge about the powers of a Power Ranger than the people wielding the powers do. She's devoted her life's work to researching the powers of the Morphin Grid and how they affect those that use those powers. She was working in New Tech City with a group of people that had volunteered to be exposed to the raw powers of the grid. The children they just had, about six months ago, were born with extraordinary mental powers. All six of the people that worked with her, male or female, had children born with some type of mental power. One child can duplicate herself; the other girl can turn her hands or entire body into whatever substance she touches. Of the three boys that were conceived while the research was going on; one has a very strong physical shield that he can produce at will, the other can phase through solid objects, and the third is most likely an empath, as the reports I received from Dr. Manx on her research, shows that he's extremely sensitive to the emotions of others. The final volunteer that worked with her and the others is still single and there hasn't been a child conceived, but I believe this persons child will have some type of extra mental ability too."

"How do you know all of this stuff, Billy?" Kimberly asked with wonder and concern vying in her voice.

"Because I helped Dr. Manx with some of the research she's done." Billy replied sadly. "Kat is from the Denebian system. People of that system resemble what a human crossed with a cat might look like. She's a very capable fighter as well as being a very respected scientist. Her work was actually commissioned by a group much like the Silver Guardians of Silver Hills. There's a growing push, at least there is in the other worlds aligned with the forces of good, to start training select candidates to be Power Rangers from the time they start their schooling. There's already an academy of this sort on Sirius that's training future generations of that world's form of Power Ranger. They're called Space Patrol Delta on that world and they're a combination of Power Ranger and police force. Aliens are coming to Earth, eventually, Kim. Peaceful ones, unlike the ones we've met so far. Kat Manx was working with this group in New Tech City, which I dug really deep to find the information that it was backed by Collins Industries and the Silver Guardians through a very large and complicated set of dummy corporations. Anyway she was working with this group and was here on Earth disguised as a human. Now that the Maligore controlled Jason has her; he has one of the brightest scientific minds in the known galaxies to create whatever he wants. I would expect that she's already been subjected to the Maligore altered ooze of Ivan Ooze as soon as they appeared onboard the Megaship. When he finally decides what world he's going to attempt to conquer, the Power Rangers of that world are going to have a hard time protecting that world from everyone on the Megaship right now." Billy sighed tiredly and looked back up at Kimberly with a sad, defeated expression. "I'm going to go and check on getting Pyramidas repaired, Kim. Rest in here; the small room we turned into living quarters before I left for Aquitar, will have sleeping bags, cots, and pillows. You might even find a change of clothing one of us left behind. I don't know but I've got to get Trey's Zord repaired and us back on the Megaship's trail just as soon as your clone is fully grown and some memories implanted into it. Rest while you can because the implantation process is rather mentally and physically tiring."

Billy turned away and left the still shell-shocked Kimberly standing in the middle of the Power Chamber.

XXXXX End of Chapter 8 XXXXX

A/N: Okay that's it for this chapter. Again I apologize for the shortness of it after taking such a long time to update this tale, but a very LARGE case of writer's block has made getting this far more like pulling teeth than the joy it normally is to write. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Pern.


	9. Chapter 9 Conflict for Freedom

**Genius Force**

_Written by: PernDragonrider_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made._

**A/N:** _I apologize for taking so long to update this tale, but writer's block combined with a real-life health issue with my mother has kept me from being able to have anytime to write anything. My mother is currently recovering from a broken left leg, due to metastasized breast cancer. So far the hormone therapy given to her by the oncologist is working as well as a once a month IV treatment to help her bones heal as the cancer leaves them. It is a day to day thing as to what she can and cannot do for herself and a slow process. She's stopped using the wheelchair and walker around the house now and progress, while slow, is being made one day at the time. I do apologize to everyone for the long break in the writing of this tale, but taking care of my mother has been my top priority for the last year. Now that she's more able to do for herself, I am picking up the 'pen' again to, hopefully, finish this tale._

_To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2004. Kudos, massive thanks, and much bowing and scraping at CamFan4Ever, Allie351, and lttlelola's feet, without their input and beta work this tale would have never been possible. Also hugs, bows, and kisses to TNT (thanks my friend) for helping me work out some of the outline and details of this story. The main storyline will take place in 2005 during the time all of us were watching SPD. Thank you to everyone that sent in a review for the previous chapters of this tale. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Okay this chapter takes place around the beginning of 2005. Enjoy and on with the tale!_

**Chapter Nine – Conflict for Freedom**

The assemblage was quiet when the display went dark and the lights returned to show grim determined expressions on every Ranger there. Tommy simply nodded and awaited Trini's call to action. It was all they could do for now.

Those that had been working on the miniaturization of the Cleansing Ray arrived in the main Zord Bay and split off from each other to join their teams as Billy stepped into the center of the room. "We have gotten the device to remove Ivan Ooze and Maligore's influence from our fellow Rangers down to a more manageable size." Billy held up the newly miniaturized device to show to everyone. "Genius Force will be teleported into the quarry as soon as the countdown on the clock reaches zero. The clock will then rest and two minutes later, the rest of us will be teleported to the battlefield. DO NOT under any circumstance take on Redigore alone. If you find yourself facing him in battle, call for back-up from those nearby."

Billy stopped for a second and then continued with a hard tone of voice. "We all go into battle today against friends and fellow Rangers, but there is not a team here that hasn't faced a teammate and friend turned to do evil's bidding. Do not pull your attacks or try to talk them out of attacking you. The control Redigore holds over them will be too strong for you to succeed in that endeavor. Kimberly and I will be on the battlefield, with all of you. We will stay on the outskirts of the conflict and attempt to entice some of Redigore's forces away from the main battle area so that the Cleansing Ray can be used on them."

Billy glanced up at the clock and looked to Tommy. "Time to get ready, Genius Force; you're going to be on your own for two minutes – less if you run into difficulties." He stepped forward and shook the hands of all the Genius Force members. "Good luck to you and may the Power protect you all." He stepped back, his face a grim smile as Tommy and rest of the Genius Force team morphed. They were teleported to the battlefield seconds later.

Billy turned to the rest of the group as the large clock reset and started a two minute countdown. "I wanted Tommy and the others gone before I gave the last of the orders. "Should Genius Force fail in defeating Redigore, then every single one of you will be targets; especially those that remain here on Earth." Billy took a deep breath before continuing and was semi-surprised when Trini's voice rang out over the assembled group.

"Genius Force falls and every Ranger team is ordered to destroy Redigore at any and all costs." Trini told them all sternly. "Do not try to save Jason, just destroy Redigore. You may try to save any that have been corrupted by Redigore, but do not attempt to salvage Jason's life."

Her stern tone shocked them all, but Trey stepped forward. "There won't be a Jason to save if Genius Force falls, my friends. Billy and Trini both realize that they are ordering you to kill a fellow Ranger, the first Red Ranger of Earth to be exact. But they both also know that if Genius Force fails to free Jason from Maligore's evil control, there won't really be a Jason Lee Scott to save. It will be a body that bears his resemblance, but the core that makes him Jason will be gone - forever – destroyed by Maligore's possession of his mind and body. My father and I have seen the results of the scans on Jason's brainwaves; Billy has seen them too. If Genius Force is not successful in defeating Redigore and freeing Jason from Maligore's control; then what makes Jason, Jason – won't exist anymore and Maligore's evil will be in full control of Jason's body and have access to every single memory of every Ranger strategy Jason was ever privileged to know. That kind of information, in the control of an evil as dangerous as Maligore will mean devastation to everything the forces of good have ever fought for." Trey's tone was compassionate as he spoke, but it was also stern and held nothing back. "For those of you that do not know a lot of Ranger history Jason has held my powers too, so the secrets of the Gold Ranger powers are also at stake and I cannot allow my world to be jeopardized if Genius Force fails. Jason is also my friend and a fellow teammate, but I won't be able to allow my personal feelings for him to interfere with saving my world from coming under the yolk of evil's domain."

"You're not talking about after this battle today, are you?" Cole asked as he stepped forward to be seen.

"No," Billy told him seriously, "this is something that my teammates and friends do not wish to contemplate, but something that must be done if we cannot rid Jason of Maligore's control. We won't even be targeting him today, but attempting to free those he's corrupted. This device," Billy held the device up for everyone to see once more, "will NOT free Jason. It has only been designed to free those Redigore has corrupted using Ivan Ooze's ooze, which Maligore's evil altered. The Cleansing Ray will not be able to be used to free Jason. That is another device that is being worked on as we speak."

"Thirty seconds to teleportation," Trini said just as Billy went to say more, "all teams should morph now."

Delphine stepped forward and nodded to Billy as she stated, not asked, her team, "Ready."

"We are ready, Delphine," Aurico answered for the whole team as every single one of them nodded.

"Fine," Delphine said taking her stance as the others did too. "It's Morphin Time."

"Rangers of Aquitar, we need full power." All five of the Aquitain Rangers said at the same time as the power of the Morphin Grid washed over them and seconds later they stood morphed before everyone.

"Alien Rangers, ready for battle," Aurico said stepping forward as Delphine stepped back.

Rocky stepped forward with what remained of the Zeo Rangers, "Zeo Rangers, Ready?"

"Ready," Kat and Tanya said together.

"It's Morphin Time." Rocky stated.

"Zeo Ranger One, Pink," Kat stated as she made the motions needed to complete the morphing sequence and bring her Zeonizers together.

"Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow," Tanya said as she too motioned with her arms and brought her Zeonizers together to complete the morph.

"Zeo Ranger Four, Blue." Rocky said as he joined Tanya and Kat's sequences and joined the two halves of his Zeonizers.

"Gold Ranger Power," Trey called as he morphed into the Gold Zeo Ranger and stood with Rocky, Tanya, and Kat."

"Power Rangers Zeo, ready." Rocky told Billy

Zack stepped forward and nodded to Billy, "It's Morphin Time," He called out sternly as he continued, "Mastodon." Zack nodded to the others, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, ready for action."

"Go Galactic," Leo, Kendrix, Kai, Damon, and Maya cried out together. "Lost Galaxy Rangers are ready," Leo told Billy, giving him a nod.

"Lightspeed Rescue," Carter, Chad, Dana, Joel, and Kelsey called out together as they morphed. "Titanium Power," Ryan said as he too morphed. "Lightspeed Rescue reporting for duty," Carter said as his whole team saluted Billy.

"Time for Time Force," Wes said as he triggered his Chrono-morpher and seconds later stood there morphed as the Red Time Force Ranger.

"Quantum Power," Eric said into the morpher on his wrist and then his fist shot skyward as his morphing sequence took over and he too stood by Wes as the Quantum Time Force Ranger.

"Time Force, ready," Wes said as he and Eric stood shoulder to shoulder.

"Wild Access," Cole, Max, Danny, Taylor, and Alyssa said together as they opened up their Growlers, that looked liked oversized cell phones. "Lunar Wolf," Merrick called just after the rest of the Wild Force team and he morphed into the Lunar Wolf Ranger.

"Wild Force, ready," Cole told Billy, giving him a nod.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger form," Tori, Shane, and Dustin called out together as they morphed into the Ninja Storm Wind Rangers.

"Thunderstorm, Ranger form," Blake and Hunter said in unison as they morphed into the Ninja Storm Thunder Rangers.

"Ninja Storm Rangers, ready to go," Shane said as he and Hunter nodded to Billy.

"Ready," Conner asked his teammates and was very conscious that Ethan wasn't there with them.

"Ready," Kira and Trent replied, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Dino Thunder, Power Up," Conner and Kira said together as Trent said, "White Ranger Power." Once morphed, Conner nodded to Billy with more confidence than he felt, but he was worried because two of his teammates were out on the battlefield already. Ethan and Tommy were both already fighting.

"Thank you all for the honors," Billy told them seriously and then looked to Kim. "You ready, Kimberly?"

"Ready, Billy," Kim answered smiling at him.

"It's Morphin Time," Billy said as his right hand dropped behind his back and came out with a power morpher, complete with coin, "Dragonzord."

"It's Morphin Time," Kim said smiling softly as her hand dropped to her back and came out with a power morpher and coin, "Saber Tooth Tiger."

"I'll be damned," Zack said with a smile as he saw Billy as the Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger and Kim as the yellow. "Talk about giving people heart attacks when we show up, but Tommy is going to fall over seeing you in Green and Kim in yellow, Bill."

"We cannot go into battle in our normal colors, Zack." Billy told him seriously. "Redigore has the clone of Kimberly and me with him and while he's never sent them into battle before; he might and it would definitely tip him off that something wasn't right when there were two blue and pink Rangers from the same team present. Especially if the clones were to access our original Morphin Powers and they do possess that ability – even as a clone. Our clones have a limited ability to morph using the Triceratops or Pterodactyl. Kim and I could go to battle as the Ninjetti wolf and crane, but Jason knows we held those powers and if we show up with them Redigore will also become suspicious as to how the wolf and crane are on the battlefield when he left Billy and Kimberly behind at his base."

"Teleportation starting now," Trini's voice echoed over the communication system. "Full battlefield spread, Alpha."

"Acknowledged, Trini," Alpha said teleporting all of the teams in the Zord bay onto the battlefield and then the little robot nodded to Billy and Kimberly. "You are next. Your target landing zone is here," Alpha continued as he brought up a real-time video of the battlefield. "The pink and yellow rangers from Redigore's forces are in this vicinity. Good luck, Rangers." He finished as he teleported them into the area and turned his attention to the device that Trini and Hayley were hoping would free Jason from Maligore's control as it destroyed that evil once and for all. There was a soft beep from the communications console and he checked the origin before quickly routing the outside signal to a fake receiver that would isolate whatever Redigore's forces were attempting to get into the Command Center.

Beep – Beep – Beep, Beep – Beep – Beep

Tommy and the other Genius Force rangers found themselves battling, mostly, Redigore's foot soldiers – the aptly named Scramblers. Once or twice, before the rest of the Rangers of Earth arrived, one of the Astro Rangers, the Phantom Ranger, or the two people with the Genius Force morphers would get into the fray, but only for short periods of time. They were holding their own and Tommy smiled grimly under his helmet as Redigore was following the classic evil attack mode. Send in the foot soldiers before the monster to wear out the rangers and hope for victory. _"I would think Jason would know better, but this isn't Jason in control right now; this is Maligore."_ Tommy thought as he battled the Scramblers with the rest of the Genius Force rangers.

Once the entire bulk of Earth's Power Rangers appeared on the battlefield, Redigore seemed to lose some of the smugness in his stance as the Astro Rangers, Phantom Ranger, and the two 'turned' Genius Force rangers joined the fray. Redigore was even more confused when the teams split up by color and faced off against his 'generals' instead of staying and fighting as teammates. "They grow desperate, my beauties," He said over his communication circuit for Billy and Kimberly to hear. "It will not be long until we are successful in crushing these puny Rangers and rule the galaxies."

"Your infected message was sent and received by their base, Redigore," the cloned Billy answered with a smile in his voice. "It will soon be attacking their connection to the grid and all Rangers, except for ours, on the battlefield should be force de-morphed shortly."

"Good my one," Redigore replied with a secret smile. "Once vulnerable, my rangers will then follow their orders as they infect every single good ranger of Earth; bringing them to my side and leaving the Earth defenseless."

"We look forward to your victory, our lover," Kimberly's clone's voice came over the circuit with an evil purr to it.

Billy was close enough, morphed as the Green Ranger, to overhear the transmission and he sent a panicked looked to Kimberly as they both backed quickly away and prepared to teleport back to the Command Chamber to avert the looming disaster. Just before they teleported, Trini's voice issued from the speakers in their helmets – and their helmets only – "Alpha has already isolated the transmission from Maligore's base and we are currently running reverse triangulations on the source, Billy. A precaution I had him take once Redigore kept hacking into our communications circuits. Continue the battle and whittle down his forces just a bit, my friends."

Billy and Kimberly carefully made their way through the battling Rangers. Billy and Trini had already chosen three targets and a possible fourth. They had both speculated that those three, possibly four, targets would be all the time they would have before Redigore pulled his forces from the battlefield, defeated. After overhearing the transmission between Redigore and the clones in his base, Billy guessed that the original estimate of four was over reaching and that they would be lucky to get two; hopefully the two Genius Force morphers to strengthen their team as they others couldn't remain for the rest of their battles.

"Let's go for yellow first, Kim." Billy said as he touched her arm and pointed to where the yellow genius force Ranger battled with the yellow Astro Ranger, Ashley Hammond, against Aisha Campbell, Tanya Sloan, Maya of Mirinoi, Kelsey Winslow, Taylor Earhardt, Dustin Brooks, and Kira Ford; the Ninjetti/Ninja, Zeo, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, and DinoThunder yellow rangers.

"Two at once," Kim asked as they quickly made their way into the group and Kim joined the fray morphed as the Saber-tooth Tiger Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger.

"Going for just the Genius Force, Kim," Billy told her as he slipped into the battle with the device, "But if I manage to get the Yellow Astro Ranger too then that will be a bonus."

"Okay, targeting the yellow Genius Force and going to cull her from the herd, wolfie." Kim told him with a smile that couldn't be seen behind her helmet as she put her gymnastic and martial arts abilities to use as she battled, knocking the yellow GF ranger to the ground at Billy's feet in a short amount of time. "Not a very good fighter, Billy." She commented as she and the other yellows kept Ashley from getting close to her fallen comrade in evil.

Billy quickly fired the ray from the device in his hands, crossing his fingers they were correct as to how the free the ones the Maligore altered ooze of Ivan Ooze held control over. He played the invisible, to everyone but him, ray over the downed ranger and could see thru the altered visor he wore that the ooze was being driven from the body even as the effects of that cleansing were apparent as the woman on the ground writhed in pain. The last of the controlling ooze was flushed from the woman's system as she passed out from the pain, face down on the ground, her control of her morph lost and she powered down as she slipped into unconsciousness. She was quickly teleported from the battlefield and held in a protective stasis chamber within the Command Chamber.

"Moving for pink, Kim," Billy informed her over the comm channel that Trini had adjusted their helmet comm units for.

"Right behind you, Bill," Kim told him extracting herself from the battle with the grace and gymnastics skill that had garnered a silver medal at the Pan-Global games and gold medal at the Olympic Games the following year.

They made their way through the battles until they came upon the Pink Genius Force ranger and Pink Astro Ranger, Cassie Chan, battling against Kat Hillard, Kendrix Morgan, Dana Mitchell, Alyssa Enrile, Merrick Ballton, and Ryan Mitchell the Zeo, Lost Galaxy, and Lightspeed Rescue Pink Rangers as well as the Wild Force White and Lunar Wolf Rangers joined by the Titanium Lightspeed Rescue ranger too. Kim and Billy eased into the battle, and once more the Pink Genius Force ranger was brought to the ground and the Cleansing Ray employed. As with the Yellow Ranger, this woman was sent into unconsciousness and teleported directly into a secured stasis chamber in the Command Center. They were just moving to get Cassie Chan when they were all teleported from the battlefield and back into the Zord Bay by Alpha and Trini.

There were shouts of anger and confusion among the rangers, some falling to the hard steel plating of the Zord Bay floor, as they were unceremoniously teleported from the battlefield, even the Genius Force team had been fully recalled. "Power down," Trini called to them and they did.

"What's going on, Trini?" Tommy asked, one of the first to question their abrupt removal from the battlefield even as he did a quick double take at the Green and Yellow Mighty Morphin Rangers standing nearby. "What the hell; how?"

Billy and Kimberly powered down quickly and smiled sheepishly at Tommy as Trini explained what was going on. "Just after the last teleportation signal, Bill and Kim entering the fray, a transmission was received from Redigore's moon base. Alpha, as a precaution, isolated that communication from our normal systems and ran it through a dummy system, completely unconnected to any system in the Power Chamber."

"Was it designed to do what was reported to Redigore on the battlefield, Trini?" Billy asked as he powered down.

"Yes it was, Billy." Trini answered him gravely. "There was a hidden carrier, in that communication, designed to disrupt every Ranger's connection to the Morphin Grid as well as all of the power circuits here in the Power Chamber."

"We'd have been forced out of Morph and defenseless on the battlefield," Tommy stated as the scope of what could have happened hit everyone in the bay. "We'd have all fallen to Redigore because the Scramblers are held together with the altered ooze and one touch, unmorphed, to us by them would have infected everyone. Damn but I hate Jason right now." He said with a sad sigh as he looked around at the completely shocked faces of the assemblage.

"Why do you hate Jason, Tommy?" Rocky asked with a shaky voice because he was reeling from the information and Tommy's statement too.

"Because Jason, Tommy, and I worked out a similar strategy in a war-game scenario, Rocky." Billy told him as he nodded to Tommy and sighed sadly. "Jason played the role of the antagonist in this simulation, designed by Zordon. Jason devised a plan of attack, during this war-game we played, that had his forces deployed on the battlefield against a superior force – both Tommy's army and mine. What either Tommy or I suspected was that his attack was a ruse for the real attack on both of our bases of operations. We'd left them with minimal support staff, as we did today, and he had his base send a coded transmission, containing a virus, that turned the operation of all our 'robotic' armies over to him. He won without ever firing a shot." Billy admitted with a large dose of chagrin.

"Okay, so he attempted to follow that old war-game scenario here today; so what?" Rocky said with a confused tone and a shrug of his shoulders. "What does that have to do with why we got yanked off the battlefield in the middle of the fight?"

"Because, somehow, Redigore was able to access that portion of Jason's memories and attempt the same thing – only in real life, Rocky." Adam told him seriously. "Jason knows more about our individual styles of combat as well as how we think, act, or react to any given situation. Especially those he's fought with as a Ranger. That includes, almost, all the reds here, Tommy, Trey, Kim, Trini, Zack, Aisha, Tanya, Kat, Billy, you, and me, Rocko. With a team, you have insight into their red ranger's strategies and you know how their whole team with flow in a battle. He's fought, as a Ranger, with every red here except for the two Ninja Storm Red rangers and the Dino Thunder Red Ranger. Unfortunately for the DinoThunder Red, Tommy taught him. He has his own style, but a lot of his battlefield strategies come from Tommy's playbook. A playbook Jason wrote first."

"Oh crap," Rocky stated as he looked around at the shocked faces surrounding him. "Wait, did we get any of his forces free?

"The two main targets of this 'show of force' were achieved," Billy told them as he looked up at the view screen that now showed two occupied stasis chambers. "The two women wearing the yellow and pink Genius Force morphers were rescued and cleansed." The view screen zoomed in on one face and then the other. "This is Dr. Katherine Manx and this is, surprisingly, Salina of the Scorpion Clan of Phaedos; known to the forces of good – before the Zordon Wave – as simply, Scorpina."

"We got Scorpina away from him, good," Tommy stated as he moved to Kim's side and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Unfortunately there wasn't time to achieve our secondary targets of the Phantom Ranger and one or more of the Astro Rangers, Tommy." Billy said with a dejected tone. "We still must monitor the readings of Dr. Manx and Salina to be sure the Cleansing Ray was successful. Once we know that, we – Genius Force – can go into battle and take one or two, as they come at us, back. Unfortunately, by doing that, eventually Redigore will hold the others back from the conflict and it will get harder to remove them from his control."

"How do you intend to free Jason from Maligore's control or are you going to destroy him to keep us all safe?" Tommy asked with a sad tone, but one that understood what this conflict could possibly come to.

"Our goal is to free Jason and destroy Maligore, Tommy," Billy admitted but then continued on, shocking everyone there but his former teammates that knew him well. "However if that cannot be accomplished within the span of three, four months, at the most then our focus will shift to the undesirable alternative of destroying Redigore and the evil of Maligore that will have possessed him completely for all time."

"Before the protests could get loud enough that she would risk harming everyone's ear drums, Trini spoke, "Like Billy said, our goal is to free all of the controlled and evil possessed Rangers and the two clones. That is our focus and the alternative will not even be considered unless it is clear that there isn't a Jason to save. I wish to thank each and every one of you that answered our call for assistance today. We will keep you apprised of the real situation of our conflict as we go along. Alpha will teleport everyone home starting with the Aquitian Rangers, for they will need to rehydrate soon. May the Power protect you all and remember, stand ready in case we are unsuccessful in obtaining our objectives."

"Call us if you need our assistance once more, Rangers of Earth," Delphine told them all as they made the Aquitain gestures of goodbye and good luck to everyone. Alpha then teleported them home and one at the time teleported all the rest of the Ranger teams to their home bases. Wes, Eric, Rocky, Aisha, Kat Hillard, Kim, Adam, Tommy, Tanya, Genius Force, and the remainder of the Dino Thunder and Ninja Storm teams were left behind. The all left the Zord Bay and went into the main room of the Command Center to join Hayley and Trini. Alpha trailed behind, double checking the bay before sending it into standby mode and shutting down the huge cargo teleportation system that had been used to bring and send all the others there that day.

Beep – Beep – Beep, Beep – Beep – Beep

"They took TWO of my Rangers and you didn't stop them!" Redigore roared in anger as he slapped Andros across the face, knocking him to the floor with a bloody nose and mouth. "Next time you will follow my directions to the letter or I will rip the skin off of you and watch as you bleed slowly to death as you are lowered into a vat of acid." He stomped from the room leaving the others behind.

Beep – Beep – Beep, Beep – Beep – Beep

Twelve hours later, each of the Rangers still remaining in the Command Center rested and refreshed from a good sleep, returned to the main room. It was now time for the final scan on the stasis chambers and, hopefully, the opening of both of them so the two females could be questioned for what the remembered of Redigore's hidden base.

Beep – Beep – Beep, Beep – Beep – Beep

**A/N:** I know, I know – I left it at a cliffhanger. I am slowly updating my unfinished stories on the site. It is a slow process for me as I have to reread all of the previous chapters and refresh my memory of where the tale is going and where I, originally, planned for it to end up. This tale has to be the hardest one to pick up after the long sabbatical, but please hang with me and I will get to the end – eventually.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. May the Power protect you all – Pern.


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